MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mrs Kirchner escalates clash with Judiciary, implies censorship from the Court

Could it be the Kirchners want to be ousted because they feel their time is up

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner escalated Tuesday the clash with the Judiciary branch saying that when the magistrates call for “moderation”, the expression seems to rhyme with “censorship” since they don’t realize “the weight they hold”.

Earlier in the day in a release the Supreme Court called for a “cautious” and “balanced” response “with respect for the courts”, with a warning that underlined that “the laws are applied equally, nationwide”.

“It's rather regrettable, because if there is an institution that has to guarantee that all citizens express themselves freely, it is the court,” said Cristina Kirchner, adding that “maybe they don't realize the weight they hold.”

“We have been censored for so long and, for thinking differently, terrible things have happened,” she said.

The meeting of the highest tribunal was held after criticisms last week from President Cristina Kirchner towards the judges that voted against the use of reserves from the Central Bank to pay the debt.

“We are asking those who hold governmental responsibilities to express themselves cautiously and with balance, because respecting the courts is the best way to ensure the calm of our citizens, to ensure that their rights are protected and that we are a nation governed by laws that are applied equally, for everyone,” said the judges through a press release.

The cash strapped administration of Mrs. Kirchner has been trying since last December to tap Central bank reserves to pay for debts. The first attempt was considerably delayed when former central bank president Martin Perez Redrado refused to comply with the decree and appealed to the courts saying such a major decision must be considered by Congress.

He was finally fired and replaced by Mercedes Marco del Pont a friendly banker who supports using central bank reserves to help develop the Argentine economy. The Kirchners argument is basically that reserves can be best used in development projects and that deposited in Swiss banks they only generate 0-5% interest while Argentina must pay 15% to 17% in the credit market.

Congress which now has an opposition majority anticipated that it would repeal the “urgent and necessity” decrees used by Mrs. Kirchner to tap reserves and that it would reject the nomination of Ms Marco del Pont as head of the bank.

In the midst of this confrontation Mrs. Kirchner claimed in a speech before Congress that Judges are acting “in combination” with the opposition and went as far as questioning the private lives of certain magistrates.

Mrs. Kirchner also insisted that as long as she is president “no Judge is going to force Argentina to default”, implicitly disobeying lower courts rulings.

This week the Argentine Congress begins the debate on the elimination of the extraordinary decrees and will hold hearings on the acting governor of the central bank, although the opposition anticipated she will not be supported.

Meanwhile former Economy minister Domingo Cavallo said that the Argentine problem is not tapping central bank reserves but the massive increase in spending, the deficit budget and inflation.

Cavallo did not discard that the Kirchner couple are pushing the situation is such a way that they are forced out of office and thus won’t have to face very tough and undesired correction measures.

“They want to leave and are doing every thing possible to be ousted so they can claim they were forced out”, said Cavallo who believes the Argentine budget could be hiding a deficit close to 20 billion US dollars.