MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Next government in Argentina with ample support in Congress

Cristina should not have any problem with legislative initiatives

Elected Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner should face no obstacles with Executive initiatives in Congress according to the results of her windfall victory which consolidated the government's grip on the Senate and now becomes extensive to the Lower House.

A third of the 72 seats in the Senate were renewed last Sunday and the ruling coalition not only held to its solid 40 majority but gained five more only three short from the two thirds necessary to sack judges, sanction legislators or approve bills without the need of a debate. In the Lower House where half of the seats were up for grabs, the ruling coalition reached 140, the highest since the 132 seats in the 1995 reelection of President Carlos Menem. In procedural terms this means that the incoming government will be able to have a quorum in the Lower House without the need of appealing to the opposition. The ruling coalition in Congress is made up of Kirchner's Victory Front, a grouping from the Socialists, the so called K Radicales (splinter group form one of the opposition parties) and other independent allies belonging to provincial parties. The Radicales which are currently the main opposition party, as of next December 10 will loose that position to a mix of groupings under the Concertacion Civica banner, built by Elisa Carrió the second most voted presidential candidate with 22.95%. Ms Carrió actually doubled her votes from the last presidential election in 2003 and defeated Mrs Kirchner in several of Argentina's main cities such as Buenos Aires, Rosario, Mar del Plata, La Plata. Extremely satisfied with the election results she anticipated that in 2011 someone from her group would be elected president. As to possible cabinet names, cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez who was the official conductor of the successful presidential campaign has been confirmed as has Foreign Affairs Secretary Jorge Taiana who together with the Argentine consul in New York, Jorge Timmerman were instrumental in the overseas high exposure visits of the elected president and in reestablishing solid contacts with the US Democratic party and Jewish community in New York. Alicia Kirchner, the president's sister is expected to continue as Welfare Secretary as will Carlos Zannini, legal counselor of the Executive Office and a close advisor of the Kirchner inner circle. The Buenos Aires press speculates that Economy minister Miguel Peirano has very good chances of continuing on the job. And what about Mr Kirchner, will he become a consort First Gentleman? Not at all, the president is expected to fight for legal and effective control of the Peronist party structure and transform the electoral machinery that has been decisive in ensuring the party's hegemony over Argentine politics for the last sixty years in a more catch-all consensus organization. Certainly the best possible support for Argentina's first elected woman president and the Kirchner's plans to continue in office. However experience indicates that concentration of power does not necessarily mean neutralizing the opposition. Rather dissidence begins to grow inside the dominating force.