MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Buenos Aires “fed up” with Kirchner farmers' conflict

Porteños and farmers with a common cause

A majority of Buenos Aires City residents are “fed up” with political rallies stemming from the ongoing stand off between the Argentine government and the protesting farmers over grains and oilseeds export taxes, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

The public opinion poll was undertaken by the Universidad Abierta Interamericana, UAI, and surveyed 1.000 Buenos Aires residents on the two rival rallies, one organized by the administration of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and the other by the farmers which took place on Tuesday evening. The survey showed that 65.3% of respondents were "fed up, exhausted and quite mad" about the two political rallies which convened almost 300.000 people on the eve of the crucial congressional vote on the controversial farm produce export tax system. The survey also showed that 13.3% of residents approved of the rally organized in Congress square in support of the government of Mrs. Kirchner (which attracted 80.000 people) while 19% favored farmers and their huge concentration of 250.000 people. "It is evident that porteños (Buenos Aires residents) are fed up and are also craving for democratic institutions as the system to solve disputes", said Raul Aragon head of the Public Opinion Studies Program of the UAI and responsible for the survey. When asked what farmers should do if the Senate finally votes favorably the controversial tax system implemented last March and which triggered the current conflict, 37.5% of interviews said "they must accept the decision and suspend the protest". However 25,8% said farmers should try appealing their case to the Judiciary branch while 14.6% favored a return to pickets and blocking highways to continue protesting the tax system. The four months plus farmers conflict has included banning the sale of grains and oilseeds for the export market plus blocking the main roads system.