With this year's, there will be four times that Cristina Fernández de Kirchner exclusively digitizes the presidential duo of Kirchneperonism. In her debut, in 2011, she put herself as the main candidate and surprised with Amado Boudou as a partner. In electoral terms, the then-recent widow did very well: she swept 54% of the vote.
Not positive, to paraphrase Cristina's other former vice president, Julio Cobos, would instead be the general experience with Boudou. Shortly after the beginning of the mandate they preferred to hide him because of the serious judicial problems he faced, which ended up sending him to jail, convicted of buying Ciccone's banknote printing press.
For the next occasion, in 2015, the current vice president tried something that, seen with the perspective that the years give, seems to be for her the formula of the formula: a man of center or center-right even, not exempt from Menem genes, sold as a moderate for the companions, who is closely watched with a companion who must be a proven Christian. Loyal, uncompromising.
A controller, as they would say in business jargon.
That time, the one elected in the first term was Daniel Scioli, who had been Nestor's deputy and who in his eight years as governor of Buenos Aires had not reacted to a single one of the provocations of the hard core K: one could speculate with his absolute submission in La Rosada. He measured well, too.
His second, therefore, would be a penguin of impeccable credentials, Carlos Zannini. The current attorney general of the Treasury of the Nation was ideal as a caretaker. His Maoist past guaranteed the necessary discipline.
The defeat to Mauricio Macri made it impossible to see how the experiment would have worked.
2019 still resonates in our everyday reality. With a tweet, Cristina put one to Alberto Fernández and reserved the second place. The logic seemed immaculate. No one better than the owner of the ball to watch that it was played according to her wishes.
Nor does she deny that it did not go well. More than an ensemble, a Frankenstein came out.
And yet, now that there is no more doubt that Cristina will again be the only great voter of the Frente de Todos (or whatever it is called in August), the version that began to be installed after the act of May 25 last Thursday indicates that the scheme could be repeated.
That is, a moderate (for the comrades), with touches of center-right and sympathies that would qualify as neo-Menemists: Sergio Massa. Next to a K one hundred percent pure: Wado de Pedro.
Aren't there two without three?
On Saturday they showed up together in Mercedes, the homeland of the interior minister. They drove a train, made jokes and exchanged flattery. Full honeymoon.
Presidential formula? Sergio Massa and Pedro's "Wado" were shown together at Mercedes.
It is true that there is still a long way to go to define the candidates and the order of the names. Massa collides with the impregnable inflation, which as it rises lowers the price. Pedro, on the other hand, lacks popular recognition, but enjoys the push of a sector of the group from which he comes, La Cámpora, which tries to install him. For both it is a complicated undertaking, but they appear as a concrete possibility for the ruling party.
This is probably Cristina's last chance to wield the power of her finger. In any case, its internal hegemony is still shocking, for so many years, without anyone seriously challenging it. Only Perón has had a bigger finger.
Despite the setbacks -which on several occasions were fallen-, Cristina still stands at an altar where only the dead heroes of the party accompany her. Although their parishioners dwindle, they are still more than anyone else's.
Of course, in a general election not only Christians vote. The vice president could touch the bottom of his influence if he adds a new failure. Especially if that failure results in a third place and being left out of the runoff. It would be insurmountable.
The attitude and performance of the opposition will obviously be key to making this happen. It remains to be seen whether Together for Change is aware of this.
See also
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