In the midst of the official internal and the previous electoral one, President Alberto Fernández opened the 141st period of ordinary sessions of Congress, accompanied by Vice Cristina Fernández de Kirchner with whom he had not appeared in public for nine months.
In his speech of more than two hours, the president launched harsh criticism of the opposition, the media, the Justice and defended the Impeachment of the Supreme Court.
He considered that Cristina Kirchner "is persecuted" and that they are seeking her "political disqualification" from her.
As the protocol indicates, Cristina received him with a warm greeting and quickly moved on while the president remained greeting the reception party.
During most of the speech, the 36° in the street contrasted with the cold and distant weather inside the Chamber of Deputies, where
the boxes were not full and moderate applause reigned.
As in the last two years,
Máximo Kirchner was not present.
But
towards the end, the climate heated up.
Criticism of the magistrates of the Highest Court and the City of Buenos Aires for the ruling on the Coparticipation inflamed spirits.
"The Supreme Court of Justice assured the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires
of co-participating resources that do not correspond to it,
contrary to the current co-participation law," he said,
casting a provocative look at the two Supreme Court judges present, Carlos Rosenkrantz and Horacio Rosatti.
On the other side was the head of the Buenos Aires government, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta.
The Supreme Court judges in silence during the attacks of President Alberto Fernández.
Photo Maxi Failla.
That moment unleashed the first meeting with the opposition, which until then had been limited to observing in silence and launching criticism via social networks.
"It is an honor that you insult me, deputy (Fernando) Iglesias," launched the president before the PRO deputy, who
along with other legislators from the Juntos por el Cambio interblock left the venue.
The tension continued to escalate and
Fernández pointed against the macrismo
.
"Those who violated the Constitution are those who set up judicial tables and persecuted judges, journalists, opposition politicians and even their own colleagues with state resources."
In that section of the speech the screams became even louder.
"Borombonbón, for Alberto re-election"
, the radical senator Luis Naidenoff chicaned him, alluding to the fact that the President launched himself for 2023 with this tone of speech.
"Thank you," the President responded ironically.
But there was more criticism of Justice and the Court.
It was when he spoke of the ruling on the Coparticipation.
"Just as the Executive Power suffered the interference of the Judicial Power in its own functions, this same Congress had to endure the interference in its prerogatives when the Supreme Court unduly arrogated to itself the power to determine how this legislative body should designate its representatives before the Council of the Magistracy", highlighted Alberto Fernández.
"The institutional gravity that all of this entails is capital. I want to draw the attention of all Argentines to this. If that reform of the Federal Justice had prospered and if the Supreme Court had not taken the Judicial Council by assault
,
today Santa Fe would not be suffering from the lack of courts that prevent the rapid prosecution of organized crime that has expanded in its territory," added the President.
Later, Fernández left room to send a message to the inmate of the Frente de Todos as well.
"This cannot be fixed by a president or a government coalition.
We are all in the same boat that cannot be shipwrecked.
Nobody can be saved alone, Pope Francis would say."
President Alberto Fernandez and the president of the Senate Cristina Fernández de Kirchner during the opening of ordinary legislative assemblies Photo Juano Tesone
The assembly began after 11:30.
The first to enter the venue were the libertarians Javier Milei and Victoria Villaruel, who remained alone for several minutes.
Shortly after, Guillermo Snopek, from Jujuy, came in, the brand new president of the new Senate bloc, which was created from the fracture of the Frente de Todos.
As every year, the Left prepared posters to receive the President.
"Alberto: between the banks and the retirees you chose the banks", reads one of them.
"Out with IMF politicians" and "Ignorance of the coup government of Peru" point out the others.
This year the boxes were not filled.
Among those present were the president of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, Estela de Carlotto, Hugo Moyano, Luis D'Elia, Daniel Funes de Rioja from the UIA.
On the list of officials were Anibal Fernández (Security), Martín Soria (Justice), Matías Lammens (Tourism), Eduardo "Wado" de Pedro (Interior), Victoria Tolosa Paz (Social Development), Jorge Taiana (Defense), Gabriel Katopodis (Public Works).
For the Supreme Court Rosenkrantz and Rosatti were seated to the right of the President.
Few legislators, like Graciela Camaño and Pablo Tonelli, went to greet them.
Carlos Heller waved at him from a distance.
The president of the Impeachment Committee Carolina Gaillard passed them by without greeting, as did Leopoldo Moreau.
At the beginning Fernández repudiated the attack against the vice.
"Six months ago we experienced one of the most unfortunate moments in these forty years, as was the assassination attempt on Vice President Cristina Kirchner," he said.
And with strong criticism, he asked the Justice to investigate: "I ask the Justice to try and condemn those who were the material and intellectual authors of this attempted murder. I ask you to act with the same urgency that you act when judges,
prosecutors or powerful businessmen appear as defendants
".
The only joint applause - which made the ruling party coincide with the opposition - was when Fernández celebrated the 40th anniversary of the return of democracy.
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