This morning the BA Times featured a very informative interview with Alberto Fernandez, President of Argentina.
Let me say that if I had had a vote, I would not have voted for this man or his party. However, like many others, I have been very impressed by his handling of the Coronavirus situation here in Argentina. We all bitch and moan about quarantine, but there’s no arguing with the numbers — we are doing much better than many other countries, probably largely due to quarantine.
In this interview he talks about a wide range of things, and in a very conversational tone. He talks about other politicians in Argentina’s past, but interestingly not much about his Vice-President, Cristina Kirchner Fernandez (no relation), who was President for eight years before the last government of Mauricio Macri. Cristina brought corruption to new levels and she should be in jail. Instead, she is Vice-President, and I think it’s fair to say it was largely due to her supporters that this government won. If she wasn’t in the picture, I would feel even more positive about this government. Ah yes, Argentina!
It’s a long interview and you may not want to read it all, but skimming the headings will give you an idea which parts you might want to read. I hope many people outside Argentina will read it, because the rest of the world knows little or nothing about my adopted country. Here’s the link.
And if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll try to answer them in a future post.
Why did someone of Alberto’s stature win and will he hold on to power post pandemic and what is his primary goal for his country – real as against political?
Well those are some big questions, Sharon. There is traditionally a much bigger divide between left and right in Argentina, what they call La Grieta. Alberto’s party is Peronista, so called after the dictator Juan Domingo Peron. This has been a presence in Argentina ever since that time. I have heard it called Argentina’s saviour, I’ve heard it called a disease. Depends where you stand.I was speaking with an Argentine friend a while ago about the Pope. My friend said, “I don’t like him. He is a Peronista.” End of conversation.
Like socialist parties all over, including Canada’s NDP, their apparent support of the under-privileged and downtrodden is hard to argue with. But at least in Argentina, systemic corruption has made it hard to believe the poor are actually being helped. Starting with the sainted Evita, they have somehow managed to persuade the masses that they are helping them — even though Eva Peron’s lifestyle suggests she cared more about her own good life than the masses who worshpped her.
I’m inclined to believe Alberto is a good man, and I would be less worried about his government if the spectre of Cristina wasn’t there. He was very critical of her when she was in government, and there are signs that they are not as close as she might like. But she definitely still has tremendous support in the country. You asked how he was elected, and it’s pretty clear that it was her presence on the ticket that made it happen. If she had run as President she might not have won, but she ran as Vice President — she is a smart politician, which makes her all the more dangerous. Horrible woman.
As to what will happen “when this is over”, your guess is as good as mine, Sharon. We have been in a mess financially and economically for years, and the coronavirus has only made that worse. Alberto has aged ten years since he took office just six months ago. I don’t envy anybody trying to run any country right now, or in the aftermath.
I love Argentina deeply, as you know, and my plan to stay here for the rest of my life has not changed, whoever is in charge.