Argentina

The political support groups of the government in Argentina have been walking the tight rope as the "workers movement" mobilizes massively against inflation ...

As Massa tends to the Economy Ministry in order to try to pull the rabbit out of the hat and become a palatable presidential candidate, Cristina focused on "lawfare" and Alberto in zombie mode, the opposition seems to be mimicking Count Ugolino in Dante’s ninth circle of hell. Fragmentation is a very real possibility, and that could even pave the way to an unlikely Peronist victory, or the emergence of an outsider like liberal economist Javier Miliei. What was even more pathetic than this attempt to distract the public was the fact that it was the Kirchnerites who defended a system of public subsidies that was regressive in nature. The Cassation Court ruling wouldn’t be ready before 2024, which would give CFK time to execute her strategy of retreating to Buenos Aires Province ahead of next year’s election, gaining a seat in the Senate and most crucially, immunity, until at least 2029, by which time she’ll be 76 years old and, even if finally convicted by the Supreme Court, would only face home detention. Alberto appears to have finally lost all semblance of power while Cristina had once again receded into the background until the attempted assasination attempt and is now focusing on beefing up her own image, apparently giving Massa the rope to either hang himself with or pull the economy out of its vortex of doom. The ruling Frente de Todos coalition, led by Alberto Fernández and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, ultimately runs a Peronist administration, so they can’t really be accused by the country’s largest and most powerful unions of being responsible for the galloping inflation that is eating away at workers’ wages.