Far from the accompaniment of other times, Cristina Kirchner returned to Comodoro Py. There were no large demonstrations, strong political events, nor lines of leaders in the media asking for his release. Just a handful of loyal Kirchnerists and a small group of organizations headed by La Cámpora who tried to make their political boss not feel completely alone.
There were no surprises on the dock either. In her 45 minutes of defense, the former president gave a political speech more than a legal argument for the Cuadernos case. He assured, among other things, that the file was a “judicial farce.” Nothing new.
It was just a couple of hours of centrality: after the statement, she returned to San José 1111. She greeted the militancy that was still waiting for her and went into her building to continue carrying out house arrest.
Ostracism. The Justicialista Party, which continues to be chaired by Cristina, appeared not to have been notified of the investigation. Only deputies Germán Martínez and Eduardo Valdés were present; senators Eduardo “Wado” de Pedro and Anabel Fernández Sagasti; and the mayors Mayra Mendoza and Mariel Fernández.
Governor Axel Kicillof barely published a tweet: “The judicial party, hand in hand with the Milei government, continues its harassment against Cristina,” he wrote. And his Minister of Justice said that, if it were up to him, “he would pardon her on day one (of Government).” But Kirchnerism criticized him for his lack of reaction.
CFK caused another short circuit with Peronism. The thing is that, in the middle of his statement, he linked the governor of Salta to the alleged establishment of cases against him. Gustavo Sáenz defended himself: “Try to dirty me with lies and defamation,” he told him. Cristina’s relationship with the party is far from being restored.
The thing is that the former president garnered too many internal enemies. He even has them in the old guard. That was evident when he entered Comodoro Py’s courtroom. He greeted Roberto Baratta with a handshake, but avoided any contact with Julio De Vido, with whom he distanced himself a decade ago, when the former minister realized that he had been left alone. “I don’t put my hands in the fire for anyone,” said the former president in 2017 when asked about him. Now she is the one who fell into exile.
The resistance. Máximo Kirchner was in charge of the call. He was not very convinced: “I want to ask you a little thing today: that on Tuesday morning we accompany Cristina and wait for her when she returns to San José,” he said, microphone in hand, at a party event.
Cristina’s loss of power is reflected in Máximo. Kicillof took the presidency of the provincial PJ from him and is about to prevail in the district elections, relegating him once again.
Mayra Mendoza, another of Cristina’s companions, insists on crossing the governor: she criticized him weeks ago because he did not name the former president at the beginning of the ordinary sessions of the Buenos Aires Legislature and now for being absent in the claim for the innocence of the PJ leader.
The problem with the group that still supports Cristina is that there are fewer and fewer of them. La Cámpora had devised a protest operation for its political boss who, for health reasons, was absent from the political debate during the summer. But beyond some isolated messages and a frustrated #Cristina Libre hashtag, the slogan did not catch on.
Even the Government insists on inflating Kirchnerism. Javier Milei put them in the center of the ring during his speech in Congress: the libertarians want them as contenders, to block the growth of centrist Peronism and because they understand that if the runoff is against the K, they will retain power in 2027. But the strategy is not in good health. The image of the former president no longer transmits the same contagion as in other times.
“I could die in prison with this Judicial Power,” Cristina protested. But the biggest drawback of the former president is that the last excursion to Comodoro Py exposed her in her lack of a call. In central Peronism they trust that this will be the scene that convinces them that their time has passed.
