13-10-2016: Latin American Weekly Report

Argentina’s former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2007-2015) has launched her political comeback. Fernández addressed thousands of supporters at a public event on 6 October in the capital where she proposed a constitutional reform to alter the balance of power in Argentina, and was fiercely critical of the government led by her successor, President Mauricio Macri. Fernández has lost considerable support since leaving office, both within her formerly dominant Frente para la Victoria (FPV, Kirchneristas) faction of the main opposition Partido Justicialista (PJ, Peronists) and the wider public. But, in the absence of any other solid Peronist leadership Fernández remains a force to be reckoned with, and Macri will have been paying close attention to her comments. Macri, meanwhile, is making a concerted effort to expunge the legacy of Kirchnerismo.