The idea that Hugo Chavez and Senator Cristina Kirchner, her husband’s candidate for succession in the presidency of Argentina, are a “jinx” is more than just a rumor, and it stems from the electoral failures suffered by their favored candidates in the elections immediately following a more or less explicit support from both of them.
This happened to Kerry in the United States, to Lopez Obrador in Mexico, to Humala in Peru, to Gaviria in Colombia, to Segolene Royal in France, to Schroeder in Germany and to Rodriguez Zapatero in the recent legislative elections in Spain. Obsessively focused on local ratings, the Kirchners have been prodigal in fiascos when it came to stating their preference for different personalities of global politics, disregarding the real tendencies, which were not on their side. This is why when, in his recent visit to Buenos Aires, the Venezuelan dictator vociferated his praise for the Argentine First Lady and predicted her categorical triumph in the October elections, the Argentine officers’ pretense of a smile could not hide their fears for that implacable statistic.
After all, corruption cases are multiplying, and complicating the layout of the front pages, whose space is suddenly not enough to inform about the everyday conflicts: the energy crisis, people who die because of the cold weather and malnutrition, the drop in industrial production and a relentless two-digit inflation. Also the exchange rate vs. the dollar demands a place on the front pages, because, while the American currency depreciates in the rest of the world, its price becomes higher and higher in Argentina. The domestic market is so fragile and the operators’ distrust so deep that, if there is the slightest sign of instability, they instantly turn to the American currency, as has always been the case in this country.
Meanwhile, the fierce confrontation between both enemy factions within Kircherism is reaching unheard-of dimensions and threatening the normal official activities. Cross charges have provoked the resignation of a minister and of several of the closest collaborators of another, and they are not expected to be the only ones. There is no doubt that this is a fight for power shares within the close circle of the presidential couple, a fight that damages the campaign as it goes public, a proof of which are the recent opinion polls reflecting a significant drop in the Kirchners’ popularity indices in the last 60 days.
This opens up a new outlook, together with the possibility that the country’s presidency will be settled in a ballotage because, according to the facts, the process of inner disintegration of the government party has begun and there is no sign that it will stop anytime soon.
* María Zaldívar is a TV journalist from Argentina and Bachelor of Political Science (UCA, Catholic University of Argentina).
http://www.hacer.org
