Spanish – “Be careful what you say because you may regret it tomorrow.” With this phrase, Alberto Fernández rebuked journalist Joaquin Morales Solá in the middle of an interview last year before the presidential elections. The host of Todo Noticias was about to fire off the question that the whole country was asking, whether Alberto or Cristina would govern. At the time, the Frente de Todos presidential candidate gave his answer in a frame of total indignation: “I am going to govern, Joaquin,” assured Fernández in June 2019, a month before the primary elections.
Today, it seems that most Argentines think that the one in power is their vice president, Cristina Kirchner.
According to a survey by the influential consulting firm Management & Fit, when it comes to who has “more power within the ruling coalition and national government,” people point to the head of the senate. Some 47.4% affirmed that the one with the real power is Cristina Kirchner, while 33.6% believe that it is Alberto Fernández who is in charge.
According to the same study, 51.6% of those surveyed are not satisfied with the performance of the management during the year of the pandemic. Thus Peronism could suffer a setback in the legislative elections of 2021.
In the city of Buenos Aires, the rejection of the Frente de Todos is higher than in the province. While in the capital, 59.2% criticize Fernández’s administration, in Buenos Aires province, the rejection falls to 47.7%. It should be noted that since it is the most important district for Peronism, the numbers in the province of Buenos Aires also represent a disaster for the government. There, beyond Alberto and Cristina, 51.8% disapprove of the administration of the Kirchnerist governor, Axel Kicillof.
From “I did what you ordered” to the explosion on social media
On Friday, Alberto and Cristina participated in a public event, where the president tried to show unity after several rumors of conflicts between the two. The truth is that the presentation did not yield the best result for Fernández. After the event, where CFK was perceived as the one pulling the strings of real power, social media exploded against the incumbent president in the worst way.
At one point, after thanking Kirchner for some advice, Fernández told his vice president, “I did what you told me to do.” Although the public chose that moment to attack the president, analysts chose another segment to comment on over the weekend.
– Yo hice lo que me mandaste, dijo?
– Si, dijo yo hice lo que me mandaste
– No más preguntas, señor Juez pic.twitter.com/KzcZYcdq3u— Winston (@Winston_Dunhill) December 19, 2020
During Cristina’s speech, the former president decided to attack some cabinet ministers. Although she did not give names, CFK said that there are some who should find other work. Unusually, the president, who is the one who chooses and removes the ministers, applauded. Only in Argentina.
After the presentation, #ConchitaFernández was trending on Twitter. People were against Alberto, whom they saw as a coward, timorous and subordinate to Cristina Kirchner.
En la entrada al departamento de CFK, se pudo ver estos días un felpudo de #ConchitaFernandez pic.twitter.com/EAtIhqAPKA
— El ojo que todo lo V (@OjoQueTodoLo_V) December 20, 2020