MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Nestor Kirchner, “a complicated character” who is “out of control”

Governor Das Neves scathing attack on the former president

Former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner is “out of control”, he has a “complicated personality”, said Chubut province governor Mario Das Neves, once an ally but now clearly distanced from the husband of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

Speaking to the media on announcing his intention of running for president in 2011, Das Neves said Kirchner’s complicated personality means he’s all the time on the attack, “trying all the time to break” whatever he feels is against him.

Das Neves said that Kirchner, as leader of the ruling Justicialista coalition lost the mid term elections of June 28th mainly because of his character. “I don’t know any other person who has squandered so much political capital”.

“He seems to want that things don’t run smoothly for nobody”, so everybody has to depend on him and his power, which he lost.

In June Kirchner and his allies lost control of both houses of Congress and he personally was defeated, “by a mere two points” as he alleges in the crucial province of Buenos Aires, which is the winning turf for the ruling Justicialista party and whoever happens to be its leader.

The victory by dissident Justicialistas in Buenos Aires province means he is no longer the undisputed leader of the party (he resigned to the chair on the morning of June 29th) and the post is open to presidential hopefuls for 2011.

To make things even more humiliating the Kirchners were defeated in their own province in the extreme south Patagonia, Santa Cruz, from where they patiently built during three decades their plan to occupy the Casa Rosada.

Governor Das Neves said that the Justicialista party is involved in “full time deliberations” and described the current situation as “an open standing assembly”. But he added that “references are absent, because those who must lead following an election are the winners; those who loose only follow”, and this is not the case.

Although Mr. Kirchner resigned as party chairman he left in his place his close ally Daniel Scioli, governor from the province of Buenos Aires, whom the Justicialita presidential hopefuls with greatest chances and winners of the mid term election refuse to meet and simply ignore him.

To make things even more complicated, the overwhelming majority of Argentine provinces, and counties in Buenos Aires province (stronghold of the Justicialistas), depend to balance their budget outlays on the federal government handouts.

Mr. Kirchner in private has promised to punish all those who “betrayed” him and through his appeasing wife-president, is not mailing the checks. This is particularly harming for those counties in the province of Buenos Aires which “crossed votes”: supporting the local councillors and mayors’ political machinery but turning their backs on Kirchner’s provincial Lower House slate.

The first victim of this situation was former cabinet chief Sergio Massa, (informed of his sacking by the press) whose wife retained comfortable control of their county (Tigre) but where Mr. Kirchner was defeated.

“We have all our (budget) numbers tidy, so Chubut won’t turn into a bonfire as will probably happen in Santa Cruz”, said Das Neves, “if there’s any dirty tricks from the national government I’ll go live to Congress and the press”.

According to Das Neves, Chubut’s public works are financed, unemployment in the province is 5.2% and he has promised the strong provincial bureaucracy a salary increase (15/20%) beginning next September.

Anyhow “complicated personality” Kirchner began interfering with Chubut’s domestic policies. On one of his trips back to Buenos Aires from his home in El Calafate, Santa Cruz, he landed (with one of the presidential aircrafts) in Chubut with no warning for Das Neves.

He did so with Federal Fisheries Secretary, Norberto Yahuar, a former ally of Das Neves (cabinet chief) who is building a strong group to dispute control of the provincial government in the next election.