In what context does the assassination attempt on Cristina Fernández take place?

The shows of support by hundreds of supporters for Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in the midst of her trial for alleged corruption were the scene of an attempted attack that has shaken the country.

Hiding among his supporters, a man approached Fernández de Kirchner with a firearm in his hand and pointed it directly at his head due to the inaction of his bodyguards. The court is investigating whether the Brazilian citizen -who was stopped at the moment— acted on their own or following orders.

The request for a 12-year prison sentence for the vice president made by two prosecutors has aroused the fervor of her followers, who for almost two weeks have been congregating every day in front of her home in Buenos Aires. The prosecutors’ request has worsened the political climate and deepened the confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition.

The former president maintains that the trial in which she is accused of corruption during her term (from 2007 to 2015) is a farce and accuses the court of acting under the dictates of the main opposition force.

The failed assassination attempt

On Thursday night, a Brazilian citizen identified as Fernando André Sabag Montiel, 35, pointed a gun at Fernández de Kirchner’s head when she was greeted at the door of her house by dozens of supporters. A Security Ministry official who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to provide information about the attack told Associated Press “That there is no confirmed hypothesis” about the motives for the attack, so “everything is a matter of investigation.” The detainee has lived in Argentina since 1998 and the police found a kitchen knife on him during a street search in 2021, but he has no criminal record.

The incident was repudiated by various figures inside and outside Argentina. Pope Francis expressed his solidarity, as well as the presidents of Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, and Peru, among others.

What is the vice president accused of?

The prosecutors of the trial of the vice president asked the court made up of three judges a few days ago for a sentence of 12 years in prison and his perpetual disqualification from holding public office after accusing her of having led a criminal organization that during his mandate he irregularly awarded some 51 works to Lázaro Báez, a businessman close to him, and of having generated a fraud to the State for some 1,000 million dollars.

What does Fernández de Kirchner use in his defense?

Fernández de Kirchner has publicly affirmed that the prosecutors have not proved “anything they said” during the trial, which he described as “fiction.” She maintains that the court has already decided on her sentence and that she is being persecuted by sectors of the justice system that, according to her, are close to former President Mauricio Macri (2015-2019), who succeeded her in power and today is one of the leaders of the opposition. The vice president also reproaches the prosecutors for not delving into the investigation of alleged acts of corruption by businessmen close to Macri in the public works sector. The vice president’s lawyer will try to refute the accusations from September 5, when the arguments of the defense of the 13 defendants in this process begin.

When will the court rule?

The court is expected to deliver its sentence before the end of the year. In the case of convicting her, the vice president can appeal the ruling before the Federal Chamber of Cassation and reach the Supreme Court of Justice, which would entail a process that would last for months and would coincide with a scenario of high political voltage because it is the period pre-election for the 2023 presidential elections. In these elections, the continuity of the ruling Peronism in power or the return of the opposition alliance will be settled.

What impact would a final conviction have?

If a possible prison sentence becomes final in the coming months, Fernández de Kirchner will maintain the privileges that shield her from arrest while she continues to exercise her current term as vice president, which will end in December 2023. In the event of a final ruling, she will be could carry out a political trial, for which the vote of two thirds of the senators and deputies would be necessary to remove her from office.

Does Fernández de Kirchner have a chance to compete in the 2023 elections?

If the court currently judging her decides to convict her, the law does not prevent the Peronist leader from running for public office in the general elections of October 2023, until the Supreme Court of Justice issues a final ruling, which could take years, since there is no deadline to resolve the case. The former president has not said if she has political aspirations beyond the current term as vice president, but her relatives encourage her presidential candidacy and analysts consider it very likely that she will run for some public office, such as a legislative bench, to preserve the privileges that would prevent her detention.

What impact does the process have among the supporters of the vice president?

As soon as the prosecutors’ request was known, President Alberto Fernández put aside his differences with the vice president to support her publicly. Officials and human rights leaders also criticized the justice system and maintain that the vice president is the victim of an attempt to remove her from political life.

The Kirchnerist militancy gathered around his home located in an elegant capital neighborhood to show his support, which generated the bad mood of the neighbors. During the last weekend, the mayor set up a fence around the building where the vice president’s apartment is located, which was demolished by his supporters, generating clashes with the police and triggering verbal exchanges between the ruling party and the opposition force.

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