The fractured opposition
Argentina, November 21, 2010
After the problematic session in the Congress to discuss the National Budget for 2011, the balance at first glance is of a fractured opposition, an opposition that after the 2009 parliamentary elections seemed strengthened and firm against the ruling.
“The so-called Group A no longer exists. It was created last December to stand against the ruling, but exaggerated in its policy of confrontation, “kill or die” and that weakened us as a coalition” said a deputy of the radicalism, near to the presidential candidate Ricardo Alfonsin, as was published in the newspaper “La Nación”.
Elisa Carrio’s complaints against the radicals for the so-called “Agreement of Olivos” where the ruling party had received support to approve the budget, laid bare the mutual suspicion and rancor. Voices like those of Ricardo Alfonsin, Ernesto Sanz and Stolbizer came to condemn Carrio’s statements.
Stolbizer and Carrio, have been apart from some, but now are public opponents without any qualms. ”Elisa Carrio went off track in recent days” said the leader of the GEN and charged her with the responsibility for making “an unjustified complaint, pervasive and offensive” against the UCR.
Inside the Radical party things are not very calm. The struggle between the ones who support Alfonsin and the ones who support Cobos are chaotic.
“The head of the radical block [in the Chamber of Deputies] Oscar Aguad was displaced by the wing of the ones who support Alfonsin and promoted Ricardo Gil Lavedra, who promises to be more conversational in the future with the ruling parliamentary agenda” was published in La Nación today’s edition.
In this line the sector that supports Cobos complains, because he believes that for the presidential elections next year, the Radical party should make a strong presidential campaign, instead of “dividing into smaller groups.”
In the Federal Peronism, following the resignation of Carlos Reutemann, the situation is not very pleasant. As ones call for confronting the government more than ever, there are other people who can not bear the desire to take refuge in Kirchner’s party again.
“It will be increasingly difficult to contain a block that is breaking: a group, the hardest, could end up with Mauricio Macri [head of Pro], others are tempted to return to the ruling party and others non-Peronist and opposite to Kirchner, who hopes for a renewal of Peronism, pray for Kirchner to lose” said a source from the party.
In Macri’s party, the internal differences were revealed in the Budget debate. Even before the intervention of the head of Government of Buenos Aires, things were not calm. The friction could not be avoided by the rejection of Laura Alonso to issues of privilege of Carrio, Elsa Alvarez and Cynthia Hotton.
Moreover, “the scandal and blame left in the background the internal problems of the socialism among the ‘contemplative’ side of Hermes Binner and the ‘hard’ one of Senator Ruben Giustiniani. PS block and Margarita Stolbizer’s are between an electoral alliance with the radical or movements in conjunction with Proyecto Sur” Clarín published.
Pino Solanas and Proyecto Sur did not say anything about the accusations of the alleged bribes to vote on the budget, but are not too close to the ruling. This caution seems to prepare the party for the upcoming election year.
Meanwhile, the ruling continues watching the scene from across the street, under the mantle of the surveys that have as favorite the President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.