MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

CFK admits “incredible painful time” but will carry on with her duties

In a five minutes address, at times tearful, the Argentine president confirmed she’s back

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner spoke Monday at Government House and addressed, for the first time, the death of her husband and ex President Néstor Kirchner.

In a five-minute national address CFK said that she wished to thank everyone who reached out and showed their support during an “incredibly painful time.”

“I've had many difficulties in the political life. But pain is something else and this kind is the strongest, because I have lost my life partner. A part of my life left with him. I want to thank all the men and women that marched to see and bid farewell to Néstor Kirchner,” she said.

“Let me tell you all that I feel the need to carry on, in the name of his memory, all of my duties as president” of this country, she said during a very emotional moment.

The president had earlier thanked the thousands of people who paid their respects by wanting to see him or praying for him. People gave rosary beads, flowers and soccer jerseys that “I will keep”, she said.

“I want to thank that immense and formidable display of affection and love, which he deserved,” she said.

Referring to youths who sang and marched in memory of Nestor Kirchner, CFK said she saw her husband's face reflected in theirs.

But “those young kids are much luckier than he was when he was young because they're in a country that is much, much better,” she said. ”This is a country that loves them, that needs them and a country which we will continue to build among all of us”.

Earlier, official sources confirmed that President Cristina Fernández met with Economy Minister Amado Boudou, AFIP head Ricardo Echegaray and Treasury Secretary Juan Carlos Pezoa, who updated her on October's fiscal surplus data. Afterwards, she received letters of credentials from new ambassadors.

Government sources also revealed that CFK cancelled her planned visits to Vietnam and South Korea programmed to begin next Friday. She will only be travelling to Seoul, Korea for the G-20 meeting Wednesday next week.

The same sources said that the Argentine president could not be absent from the country at “such crucial moments” besides the fact she’s “tired and wishes to recover” from last week’s shock plus “spend time with her family”.

CFK is scheduled to participate Tuesday in a nuclear security technical summit (continuation of the summit held last April in Washington) and in the afternoon will fly to Cordoba for the presentation of a new car model.

CFK returned Sunday evening from Rio Gallegos, Patagonia where her husband was buried. Before flying back to Buenos Aires together with her children Florencia and Maximo they visited the family’s pantheon.

In related news a public opinion poll from Ibarometro showed that support for Cristina Fernandez rose to 68.5% according to a survey taken the day after the death of her husband and predecessor Nestor Kirchner.

The number of people saying they had a positive image of Mrs Kirchner rose 20 percentage points in the Oct. 28 survey from a poll taken 10 days earlier.

Furthermore about 45% of those surveyed said they would back Cristina Fernandez in next year’s presidential race, the poll said.

“The death of Nestor Kirchner revitalized support for Kirchnerism,” said Ibarometro’s President Doris Capurro. “Even when the image of the current government was rising in recent months, that growth process accelerated”.