Kirchnerism turned the great citizen mobilization for the 47th anniversary of the military coup in Argentina into a new act of defense of the vice president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
Human rights organizations led the march to Plaza de Mayo in repudiation of the dictatorship and the white handkerchiefs that they turned into a symbol of resistance waved in the center of Buenos Aires.
It was the first mobilization without Hebe de Bonafini, the historic head of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, who died in November, and she was honored throughout the day.
But the historic claims of "Memory, Truth and Justice" were mixed with electoral-tinged messages promoted by La Cámpora, the largest group in the streets this Friday.
"Let's all go with Cristina to liberate the country", "No to the ban, Cristina driving", sang the members of La Cámpora along the nearly 12 kilometers they traveled from the former Navy Mechanical School, now converted into memory space, to Plaza de Mayo.
“Cristina 2023″ could be read stamped on t-shirts, caps and banners of the members of this Kirchnerist group along with criticism of the Judiciary for the six-year sentence of corruption against Kirchner.
As the deadline for the closing of electoral lists on the calendar approaches, Kirchnerism increases the pressure on Fernández.
The relationship between the president and his vice president began to deteriorate some time ago, but the breaking point was the debt restructuring agreed with the IMF that forces the government to lower the deficit and, therefore, reduce public spending.
The vice president's son, Deputy Máximo Kirchner, made it clear that they expect Fernández to step aside and refuse to run for a second term given internal discontent with his administration.
“Those of us who were telling the government what the problems were, the agreement with the IMF, we have to know how to stick our heels in the ground and say no.
The agreement was bad and everyone knows this.
Argentina has an overwhelming maturity curve ahead.
And if someone gets angry, let them get angry, we are going to elections and society defines it”, Máximo Kirchner sentenced about the possibility that Fernández will remain in the presidential race and there will be more than one candidacy from Peronism.
Andrés Larroque, another of the references of La Cámpora, was convinced that Fernández will not appear.
"That seems to me that he is already behind... there are no sectors that raise that...", he said in radio statements.
Larroque maintains that the only option is to join the column behind Kirchner.
“She was very clear when she stated that she did not intend to be a burden based on a spurious conviction that could affect political strength;
from our side we tell you that it is not a burden at all, but the heart and column of this space.
Going to the elections without Cristina would be like going to the World Cup in Qatar without Messi”, compared Larroque.
Fernández avoided responding to the messages launched from Kirchnerism and remained attached to the commemorative date.
Through his social networks, he shared a video in which he declares himself "absolutely happy" that Argentina is celebrating 40 uninterrupted years of democracy and announces the construction of a new space for Memory in Campo de Mayo, the largest Army estate in Argentina.
We announce the construction of the new Space for the Memory and Promotion of Human Rights in Campo de Mayo, former #CCDTyE.
Like every #March24, we hug each other and march, valuing collective memory.
pic.twitter.com/UNuOqplgFy
– Alberto Fernández (@alferdez) March 24, 2023
"Every March 24, we can have many differences in politics, but the vast majority of Argentines embrace and march," Fernández said in the recording.
Repudiation of the dictatorship and crimes against humanity perpetrated by State terrorism is one of the great social agreements of Argentine society, although social networks amplify the voice of those who deny or minimize the crimes committed.
This Friday, together with historical and present photographs of mobilizations against the regime, hundreds of tweeters turned "There were not 30,000" into a trend, referring to the number of disappeared considered valid by human rights organizations.
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