RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Argentine President Alberto Fernandez accused the judiciary of favoring opposition political candidates and economic power factors at an event the day after the Supreme Court upheld the autonomy of the city of Buenos Aires to decide on its education policy, which an opposition leader governs.
“A judge has the right to want to run for president and has the right to vote for him and can do so,” Fernandez said. “What he (a judge) cannot do is use the rulings he has to issue to favor the candidates he likes,” he said.
The Supreme Court ruling benefited the governor of the city of Buenos Aires, the opposition, and who the government considers a possible candidate for president in 2023, Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, against a decree by Fernandez that suspended face-to-face classes in his district.
The vice-president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who through Twitter had included the ruling within the “blows against democratic institutions elected by popular vote”, looked at the president and nodded, sitting next to him in the act of launching a 55,000 housing construction program.
“I say to the courts ^enough, let’s stop, we have already done a lot of damage, the rule of law needs the proper institutionality,” said Fernandez.
And insisted: “Elect the candidate for president you want, but do not use the sentences to favor your candidates, because that degrades the rule of law.”
Meanwhile, he ratified the unity of the ruling coalition Frente de Todos, which allowed him to become president in 2019: “Here are those of us who are convinced of what needs to be done in Argentina.”
OPPOSITION THAT GOES TO COURT
Fernández again compared the judge with the US president, Joe Biden, to criticize the opposition and defend his economic policy: “Juan Domingo appears saying the things we always said, and they do not know what to say”.
“When the arguments falter”, he added regarding the opposition, “many time Peronism, Juan Domingo Perón,” they resort to Justice”.
“For all of them, this is populism; for us it is dignity”, stated Fernandez, pointing out that “for all of them it is an abuse of State spending and for us, it is an investment that improves the living conditions of Argentines”, in the midst of the internal differences that came to light to negotiate a program with the International Monetary Fund.
CRITICISMS OF MEDIA AND CORPORATIONS
Fernandez also criticized the media and corporations for being against his government.
“It is clear that the factors of power in Argentina exist and that those factors of power never wanted to accompany us”, he affirmed.
Regarding the pandemic context, he announced: “Nothing is going to make us change our minds, neither the ruling of a court nor the cover of any newspaper. Write whatever you want; if you fail as you are failing, you just fail”.