2023-04-21 17:03:00
With a video posted on Twitter this Friday, the 21st, the president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, announced that he will not run for re-election in October. The political group of the vice-president, Cristina Kirchner, was pressing Fernández for a decision, due to the possibility of a defeat for Peronism.
In the economic scenario, the situation in the country of President Lula’s ally is no better than the political one. Argentina faces the highest inflation in 30 years (104% per year), and the Central Bank (BCRA) raised the annual interest rate to 81%. It is this scenario of scorched earth that makes the Peronists fear an electoral defeat for Fernández.
In the video, the Argentine president says: “The next December 10, 2023 is the exact day we will complete 40 years of democracy. On this day, I will hand over the presidential sash to whoever is legitimately chosen at the ballot box by popular vote.”
Called “My decision”, the nearly eight-minute video shows archival footage ranging from the time of Néstor Kirchner’s chief of staff to now.
Despite not running for a new term, Fernández said he will work “fervently to be a partner in our political space, representing who we follow.” And he added: “We will continue fighting for a just homeland, with equity and happiness for all”.
Further, he states that the decision intends to serve the collective interest. “I never put a personal mission ahead of the needs of the group. As a Peronist militant, I always knew that the country comes first. Then the movement. And lastly, men. That’s why I’m going to stick to this priority scale.”
In addition, Fernández suggests that he would not have time for a re-election campaign, as “the economic context forces me to dedicate all my efforts to respond to the difficult moment that Argentina is going through”.
Cristina herself, sentenced to six years in prison in December last year for corruption, said she would not run for the government of the country. However, according to the Argentine press, she should take over the pre-campaign.
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