Large crowds protest in support of Argentine ex-President Fernández as she starts house arrest

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Vowing that a conviction on corruption charges and a permanent ban from public office would not end her decades-long political career, Argentina's former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner began serving a six-year sentence under house arrest as tens of thousands of her supporters rallied in the streets.
Her detention marked an ignominious turn for one of the most polarizing and influential political leaders on Latin America's left who served one term as Argentina's first lady (2004-2007), two terms as its president (2007-2015) and one term as its powerful vice president (2019–2023), dominating the country's politics for the last two decades.
Still today, Fernández represents the face of opposition to radical libertarian President Javier Milei. Polls suggest that she and her left-wing brand of Peronism, Argentina's nationalist populist movement championing workers' rights, retains the support of some 30% of the country.
'We will return, and, what's more, we will return with more wisdom, with more unity, with more strength,' Fernández, 72, told her ardent supporters in a speech recorded from home confinement and broadcast through loudspeakers into the streets of downtown Buenos Aires.
The case in which she was first convicted in 2022 found that she defrauded the state in awarding public works contracts to a friendly businessman. She vehemently denies the charges, accusing her opponents of weaponizing the justice system against her.
Before the court decision this month, she had been planning to run for a seat in the Buenos Aires provincial legislature.
'The real economic powers know this model has no future; they know it's collapsing, and that's why I'm in prison,' she said in her speech from her second-floor apartment in the southern Constitución neighborhood of the Argentine capital.
The scene of huge crowds setting off flares and chanting 'We will return' underscored the sharp divisions in this South American nation that has long been shaped by Fernández, who vastly increased welfare and public employment during her tenure in a dramatic expansion of the state that left Argentina with sky-high inflation and massive deficits.
'We are all here to fight for Cristina's freedom. If they restrict her more, we will do more,' said Gloria Araya, 64, a retiree protesting on Wednesday.
The economic shambles she bequeathed her successors helped vault her nemesis, political outsider Milei, to the presidency in late 2023.
Milei has succeeded in his flagship campaign promise of lowering inflation. In May Argentina's monthly inflation rate plunged below 2% for the first time in five years, the government statistics agency reported last week.
But while prices have stabilized, the cost of living remains high in a country where wages are comparatively low. Investment has lagged. Many Argentines say they're still waiting to collect on the economic revival that Mieli promised would follow the pain of austerity.
Some analysts say that anger over Fernández's claims of political persecution could add fuel to those economic grievances and help rally an otherwise confused opposition to Milei.
'The conviction and sentencing of Cristina is a unifying force for Peronism,' said Sebastián Mazzuca, an Argentine political scientist. 'If the opposition can link this claim that there was some injustice in her trial with concerns over income and purchasing power, they have an agenda.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

Argentina's Kirchner urges backers not to gather as police deploy

Argentine ex-president Cristina Kirchner urged supporters Friday not to gather outside her Buenos Aires apartment, where she is serving a six-year fraud sentence, saying she feared police violence. Kirchner alleged on social media the government had "orchestrated a police operation at the door of my house with the sole purpose of provoking conflicts." She called on her backers, who held a days-long vigil outside her flat, to exercise "wisdom and restraint" and to organize a demonstration planned for Friday elsewhere. AFP witnessed police barriers around the building, with several police trucks stationed nearby. The 72-year-old, convicted of "fraudulent administration" over public works contracts awarded during her 2007-2015 two-term presidency, had an appeal overturned by the Supreme Court last week. The court upheld her sentence and a life ban on holding public office. A different judge allowed Kirchner to serve her sentence at home, which quickly became the scene of solidarity demonstrations. On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people marched on a central square under the banner "Argentina with Cristina." The following day, a judge ruled Kirchner may use her second-floor balcony, under which supporters had been keeping vigil and where she made several brief appearances. A ban on "any behavior that could disturb the peace of the neighborhood" had led to fears she could be confined indoors. Kirchner has challenged limited visitation rights ordered by the court, restricted to family members, doctors and lawyers in what her team described as "a totally arbitrary exclusion regime." There has been speculation Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva could try and visit her when he travels to Buenos Aires for a summit in July. He would have to request a court's permission. sa/dga/ial/lpt/mlr/sms

New York Times

3 hours ago

• New York Times

Boca Juniors pair Ander Herrera and Nicolas Figal handed four-match Club World Cup bans

Boca Juniors pair Ander Herrera and Nicolas Figal have been handed four-match bans after being sent off in the Argentine club's opening game of the Club World Cup against Benfica on Monday. Herrera was dismissed after grappling with a member of tournament staff as he tried to confront the referee towards the end of the first half, while Figal was shown also shown a straight red card for a foul on Florentino Luis in the 88th-minute. Advertisement FIFA confirmed the suspensions due to breaches of federation's disciplinary code on Friday, with Herrara sanctioned due to unsportsmanlike conduct and Figal for violent conduct. Herrera and Figal will miss Boca's remaining group games against Bayern Munich and Auckland City, and will also sit out the last-16 and quarter-final, should they progress that far. Benfica's Andrea Belotti was also dismissed during a bad-tempered 2-2 draw at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and he has been given a two-match suspension for serious foul play. He will miss their final group stage fixtures against Auckland City and Bayern Munich. Herrera 35, clashed with a member of tournament staff as he tried to approach referee Cesar Arturo Ramos midway through a video review on the touchline late in the first half. Ramos was sent to the pitch-side monitor by the video assistant referee with Benfica 2-0 down, and subsequently awarded the Portuguese club a penalty – converted by Angel Di Maria. Herrera had already been substituted after going off injured in the 20th-minute and was shown a straight red card when the referee was informed of his behaviour. Miguel Merentiel and Rodrigo Battaglia gave Boca a 2-0 lead against Benfica in Miami, but Di Maria halved the deficit from the spot before Nicolas Otamendi's late leveller in the second half.

Associated Press

5 hours ago

• Associated Press

Panama suspends constitutional protections in the northwest after destructive protests

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama suspended constitutional protections for five days in its northwestern Bocas del Toro province Friday after two months of protests and road blockades turned more destructive the previous night. Presidential Minister Juan Carlos Orillac said in a news conference that the move would allow the government to reestablish order and 'rescue the province' from 'radical groups.' What began as nationwide protests against changes to the social security system morphed Thursday night into people damaging the local airport and the facilities of banana giant Chiquita Brands, which fired thousands of striking workers in the province last month.