Brazil & Southern Cone - March 2009 (ISSN 1741-4431)

Kirchnerismo in decline?

The authority of Kirchnerismo is weakening. A year ago the ruling Frente Para la Victoria (FPV) boasted a comfortable majority in both houses; now it can barely muster quorum and is at real risk of losing its congressional majority entirely in October’s midterm elections. Already under pressure, the FPV suffered two blows in February. First, dissident Peronists and the popular mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, announced a new alliance; and second, seven FPV legislators defected in as many days, including the powerful Peronist senator Carlos Reutemann. The rebellion had its roots in what could pose a formidable threat to President Cristina Fernández’s authority ahead of October: the revival of the government’s conflict with Argentina’s farming sector.