MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Buenos Aires “picket-city”: 340 street protests per month

Even popular television diva Susana Gimenez asked Cristina to put an end to the chaos

Since September last year the government of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has faced 7.658 street protests and blocked routes, which is 68% more than the 4.451which took place during the four years mandate of her predecessor in the job and husband, Nestor Kirchner. This works out at an average 340 monthly street protests since Mrs. Kirchner took office in December 2007.

The numbers were released by Nueva Mayoría, a Spanish-Argentine political think-tank that has been recording all protests and pickets’ actions in Argentina which lately have multiplied escalating the intensity of social conflicts.

Farmers, workers from the US company Kraft, teachers, teamsters, university students, even Malvinas war veterans have taken to the streets of the capital Buenos Aires making traffic in the city even more chaotic and stressing.

Last Tuesday underground workers left a million and a half commuters stranded; on Wednesday pickets blocked two of the city’s main arteries 9 de Julio and Rivadavia avenues. “You shouldn’t block the streets…people are late to work, are under stress, it’s chaotic, there must be an end. Please Mrs. President listen to the people”, said on Tuesday Susana Gimenez one of Argentina’s most popular television conductor with a night program with an audience of millions.

According to an opinion poll by Mora y Araujo, nine out of ten Argentines are demanding a direct intervention of the government to stop the growing social conflict. Of the 91% who believe the Executive must play an active role in addressing the protests, 42% demand “all necessary efforts be taken to ban once and for all blocking of streets, routes and bridges” while 49% want immediate action to prevent the negative effects for the population of the protests”.

The conflicting situation has triggered strong recriminations between government and opposition. Cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez addressing a congressional committee said that protests “are not casual” and there is an ongoing investigation “to determine some specific actions and attitudes”. A few days before Mrs. Kirchner claimed “there are groups interested in destabilizing the country”. However the opposition was quick to distance itself from such claims and stated protests were “the consequence of the government’s incompetence and inefficiency”.