MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's opposition presidential ticket tries to amend differences on Venezuela and the food situation

Presidential candidate Alberto Fernandez

Argentina's opposition presidential candidate Alberto Fernández took distance from her mentor and vice president companion, Cristina Fernandez, saying that the food situation in Venezuela is under no means comparable to Argentina.

Over the weekend the former president during the presentation of her bestseller “Sincerely” in Mendoza, said “Sorry but when it comes to food we are the same as Venezuela”.

During an interview with La Nacion, Alberto Fernandez admitted that “it is clear that conditions in Venezuela are far worse than in Argentina”, and also pointed out that the government of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro is “authoritarian, but not a dictatorship”, given its origin.

Nevertheless the presidential candidate tried to downplay her ticket companion statements. “She was referring to a FAO report on food risk situations which has Argentina in the same ranking as Venezuela and other countries”.

“It is clear that they are not comparable, but Cristina did express herself in those terms, and I talked about it with her”, although Alberto Fernandez insisted that the vice president candidate was right when she pointed out that Argentines were opting for the cheaper brands, since they simply can't afford the top line.

The fact is that when Cristina Fernandez made those remarks on food conditions, she was flooded with condemning comments from many Argentines but also from the tens of thousands of Venezuelans that have taken refuge in Argentina.

“You can't trivialize the lack of food, medicines and the hundreds of children who go to bed every day on an empty stomach”, blasted Venezuelans in Buenos Aires.

Further on Fernandez said that in Venezuela “There is an authoritarian government which in its origin does not seem a dictatorship, it seems to have been elected by the people. But what is evident is that it is a government that has committed many authoritarian acts, many times persecuting opponents. And this performance has created an enormous conflict”.

But the solution is not to ask Trump to come along with the marines and invade Venezuela. What is needed is “dialogue among the different groups in society to help Venezuela recover democracy and restore institutions”.

The Argentine presidential candidate also called to emulate Mexico and Uruguay in the Venezuelan issue, which contrary to the rest of most of the Americas which aligned in support of Juan Guaidó, both countries opted to remain neutral.

It must be remembered that during the Kirchner couple years, (2003/2015), both under Nestor Kirchner and Cristina Fernandez, Venezuela with presidents Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro were very close allies.

Finally Fernandez denied point blank that if elected he was not prepared to pay interest on foreign debt or in local bonds. “I never talked about defaulting, I only said that with the current level of interest rates, no economy, no industry can function”