A plea by prosecutor Diego Luciani to plead guilty against the nation’s Vice President through a great media show, without evidence and when the defense has not yet been deployed, has generated a generalized backlash nationally and internationally. .
Prosecutors’ charges, amplified by the larger opposition media, are presented as if it were already a conviction. In this way, what is suppressed is the process that involves the right to defend oneself.
This legal aberration once again makes it clear that, within the framework of the law, the punishment is first decided and then a judicial process is initiated to justify it. Along the way, the principle of innocence, a defense in court and a counter-argument by which the accused must prove his innocence, instead of having a judicial system that must prove the ultimate crime of the accused.
The Puebla Group, a venue that brings together political and academic leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean, condemns the media and judicial harassment against the Argentine Vice President and points out that “through prosecutors and judges, the authority has Wants to declare it unlawful without giving permission. To defend himself.”
Similarly, President Alberto Fernandez together with his Bolivian counterpart Luis Arce; from Mexico, Andres Manuel López Obrador; and from Colombia, Gustavo Petro expressed his support for the Argentine Vice President in a joint statement. Later, the President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, the President of Peru, Pedro Castillo and the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro did the same.
Also supporting Cristina Fernández de Kirchner were former presidents Dilma Rousseff, Evo Morales Ayma, Rafael Correa, Jose “Pepe” Mujica and Ernesto Samper Pizano, as well as political leaders such as Pablo Iglesias, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marco Enriquez Ominami. .
At the local level, solidarity with political, trade union, cultural, scientific and human rights organizations increased manifold.
The strong position of civil mobilization that resulted from the speech, which changed the charge she was not allowed to make, shows that there is a certain belief that the attack in Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is personal but directed at the people of Argentina as a whole. Is .
As he himself expressed: “They don’t care about anything, they go for everything. I told you once before I went as president. They don’t come for me, they come for you. For wages, for workers’ rights, for retirees (…)”. And he added: “They’re going to give us 12 years in prison for the best government in Argentina since the return of democracy. demand, which was the mandate of Nestor Kirchner and two of my men. So they will stigmatize and condemn me. If I was born 20 times, I would have done the same 20 times”.
But this swiftness in the trial of the Vice President has a history. In June, a market coup was launched in Argentina with a destabilizing objective. The resignation of the president and the convening of a legislative assembly were proposed, an attempt was made to impose a devaluation, there was talk of an illegal dollar at 500 pesos, among other calamities.
There were various phases of this market coup and the reactions of the government coalition. The economy minister had the first change: Martín Guzmán left and was succeeded by Silvina Batakis. But that was not enough. Later, a second change occurred: Batakis was replaced by Sergio Massa, adding a cabinet reorganization. What was the most important difference between these ministers? The level of political support he received from the members of the Fronte de Todos.
And despite the fact that the promoters of the market coup aimed to destabilize the government, as a reaction, the unity of the ruling coalition was strengthened. Differences were postponed or put aside and focused on responding to the crisis.
In this context, the subsequent acceleration of the trial against the Vice President can be considered a new chapter in that volatile process. It would be on purpose for Christina to condemn the electoral process, even though other precedents remain open and there is no final legal ruling. What they will be looking for is the political impact of that conviction.
Who is behind the instability? In other sectors, whose strong economic interests are at stake.
In this regard, the recent statement made by Mark Stanley, Ambassador of the United States of America to Argentina on the sidelines of the 19th edition of the Council of America, is very thought provoking. There he said: “This is a great opportunity for us to partner with this country so that we can help Argentina with infrastructure and boost the economy of oil, gas and agriculture, as well as lithium and other minerals for Argentina. So we can partner together to feed and power the world.” He then urged Rodriguez Larreta to form a government coalition “today” and said: “I don’t think Argentina needs it Will have to wait for the 2023 elections to do (…) It’s time to do it. I hope this country doesn’t wait until 2023 to do that.”
All this complex situation has arisen in a strong reaction which is expressed in a great variety of meetings, mobilizations and acts of different regions that form the front of all.
But that is not the only thing that is going to happen. The opposition also doubled the stakes. A group of representatives from Together for Change called for the President to be impeached. It included, among other submissions, a criminal complaint that the Civic Coalition also promotes against the president for “threat and treason”. In addition, the interim attorney general, Eduardo Cassel, reappeared, who, after receiving prosecutors Diego Luciani and Sergio Molla, sent a letter to President Alberto Fernández expressing his “deep concern”, which he had “in practice”. An obvious mistake”. (d) acts of the accused”.
While the economy stabilizes and from the Fronte de Todos we gather to defend the Vice President and our project for the country, the political, economic, media and judicial opposition continues to deploy their shaky maneuvers.
*National Deputy for the Front of All and President of the Solidarity Party
