BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner took over the presidency of the Peronist party on Wednesday, vowing to return to challenge the popular liberal Javier Miley, who took office last year.
Kirchner has a daunting task ahead of her: reuniting the old party that was divided after Maili's election. Until then, Miley had been known as an eccentric economic commentator.
Miley promised to oust those he viewed as the political elite and take the chainsaw to the subsidy-heavy country.
“When you have a crazy-looking neighbor coming out into his backyard with a chainsaw…even if he swore he wouldn't do anything to me, I would still lock myself in my house,” Kirshner said. Here's Wednesday.
Kirchner ran in last year's elections as a vice-presidential candidate for the Peronist party, alongside then-Economy Minister Sergio Massa.
Miley's approval ratings after a year in office remain high, as his austerity measures have brought down triple-digit inflation rates in the South American country.
Kirchner was once the face of Peronism. She served two consecutive terms as president from 2007 to 2015, and was vice president under President Alberto Fernández from 2019 to 2023.
It has lost popularity in recent years as its legal challenges have mounted. Last month, the court upheld her conviction for distributing government contracts to a friend, sentencing her to six years in prison and banning her for life from holding office.
Kirchner has denied any wrongdoing and is expected to take the case to the country's Supreme Court.
