MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Close confident of Cristina Fernandez re-floats idea of a third consecutive mandate

Carlos Kunkel, his master’s voice or wishful thinking?

The rumours of a constitutional amendment in Argentina which could include a re-re-election review privileging a possible third consecutive mandate for President Cristina Fernandez have again resurfaced and this time by a close confident of the Kirchner family.

Victory Front lawmaker Carlos Kunkel assured that the government has the prerogative to “start discussing the matter with the population”.

“We are not here to tell you we will be running in October 2015; we are saying that up until December 10th, 2015 we will be governing by the power granted in us by the Constitution. And that power given to us allows us to open a debate with the population regarding a possible amendment in the Constitution to make it more accordingly to the reality we’re living in” said Kunkel who was a student leader in the seventies together with deceased former president Nestor Kirchner at the Law School in the La Plata University.

When referring to the possibility of a constitutional amendment that allows President Cristina Fernandez to seek a third term in office, Kunkel said that “the population will have all the information necessary in order to choose which destiny we want for Argentina in the next 20 years”.

Kunkel’s statements came only a week after Vice-President Amado Boudou was heard in a couple of political rallies sponsoring the possibility of President Cristina Fernández seeking a third presidential term.

Kunkel not only has a long standing relation with the Kirchner family since the time they were students, but was among the first to mention back in 2006 that then President Nestor Kirchner was not necessarily going to seek re-election because the government had very good candidates, from both genders, “why not Senator Cristina? She has all the necessary qualities and experience”.

He was never denied or told to shut up. On the contrary he repeated the proposal several times until it was made official.