MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cristina Fernandez is back on stage and announces program to help the young unemployed

The president also had time and style to bash the media and those who questioned she wouldn't be returning

Forty two days after her last public speech, Argentine president Cristina Fernandez was back on stage on Wednesday evening on national television to criticize the media, question the opposition and announce a new social plan to aid young unemployed and encourage them to study.

The rally took place at Government House surrounded by a select audience and was followed by two other speeches but to the young militants that gathered at Casa Rosada with flags and songs of support. The much announced rally ended the long silence that led to speculation about the president's health following cranium surgery and cardio vascular tests. In the nationally televised address the president announced the launching of a program to aid the 18 to 24 young, unemployed, from low income families who will receive a monthly subsidy (approx 80 dollars) to return to school but in exchange for study results. Cristina Fernandez then ironically criticized those who speculated about her fate during her absence. The uncharacteristic several weeks long silence fed speculation about her health and some opponents even questioned who was really running the country. "I hope nobody criticizes this nationally televised address after demanding my presence so much" said the president. "I was seeing polls some time ago that said people didn't want to see me and now they're the opposite, they want me to talk". She added, "maybe what is wrong are the polls, full of nonsense, who knows..". Cristina Fernandez insisted that the campaign against her alleged absence from office was not directed against the president, but to scare people and erode confidence, "because we have an economy working at almost full employment, and they are also concerned about the share of salaries in the country's GDP". As to the 'Progress' youth program Cristina Fernandez pointed out it will be financed by the Argentine treasury, not the pensions' funds, although they will manage it because they have "all the logistics and backgrounds of those young people we want to target and recover". Following the formal speech, the president walked to the other interior patios of the building where she addressed the hundreds of militants that were waiting for her. Cristina Fernandez confirmed that next week she will be flying to the Havana Celac summit and again blasted the media and the opposition. "Of the many lies that were said, they insisted I wasn't going to Celac next week because of health problems. The problem is that there are always some bums around who believe anything they are told. If they could really distinguish the lies from reality, so many things that happened in this country could have been avoided". "They want to create the feeling among Argentines that I couldn't stand up anymore. The truth is that I have had some difficulties, but I would like to see those who suffered the same difficulties, if they could still have ruled over the 40 million Argentines". Huge screens strategically placed made it possible for all the hundreds of young militants distributed in the different patios to follow Cristina's speeches.