Argentine President Cristina Kirchner grieved on Thursday for her husband and predecessor, former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner, whose sudden death triggered mourning across Latin America — and political questions over her country’s future.
Accompanied by their two children and wearing dark glasses, the president walked up to where her husband’s body was lying in state inside the Casa Rosada presidential palace in Buenos Aires and placed a hand on his flag-draped coffin.
It was Cristina Kirchner’s first appearance in public since her spouse died of a heart attack on Wednesday at the age of 60.
Photo: EPA
A murmur ran through the thousands of Argentines filing through the palace to pay their respects, candles and flowers in hand, when she appeared.
Speculation has been swirling as to how the widowed president will cope, given the huge influence Nestor Kirchner played behind the scenes of her administration and his role as leader of Argentina’s ruling party.
Uruguayan President Jose Mujica said Kirchner’s death “changed the picture completely” in Argentine politics and “created a degree of relative uncertainty” that could be felt as far as in his own country.
“Where will she [Cristina Kirchner] find her inspiration now?” asked Carlos Pagni, editorialist for La Nacion, one of Argentina’s leading newspapers.
However, ordinary Argentines expressed faith that the president would pull through.
Many messages of support were fixed to the gates of the Casa Rosada, reading “Bear up, Madame President,” and “We need you more than ever.”
“I have much grief, but also much hope because I am convinced President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will take on the task, because Cristina and Nestor are the same thing,” said municipal worker Graciela Benitez, who had waited all night to be among the first to enter the palace.
Lines of mourners snaked through the streets of Buenos Aires, filling the air with chants of “Nestor didn’t die, Nestor didn’t die. He lives in the hearts of our working people.”
Argentine football legend Diego Maradona declared after passing through the presidential palace to pay his respects: “Argentina has lost a gladiator.”
Cristina Kirchner, 57, took over from her husband as head of state in 2007, continuing with policies that have fueled strong growth following Argentina’s 1999 to 2002 economic collapse.
Before he died, it appeared that Nestor Kirchner was preparing a return to the presidency next year.
Many in Argentina regarded the two as the nation’s most influential power couple since the iconic former Argentine president Juan Peron and Eva Peron.
Besides his role as key adviser on national politics to his wife, Nestor Kirchner was also the head of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) when he died, giving him a high regional profile.
Latin American leaders started arriving on Thursday to attend Nestor Kirchner’s funeral, scheduled for yesterday in his hometown of Santa Cruz, in Argentina’s south.
Bolivian President Evo Morales, the first foreign leader to arrive, said he felt orphaned by the death of an “irreplaceable” man who guided him through difficult times and inspired South America.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced that he, too, was flying to Buenos Aires on Thursday after canceling all his appointments and declaring three days of mourning.
Others in Buenos Aires to attend the funeral included presidents Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, Sebastian Pinera of Chile, Mujica of Uruguay, Fernando Lugo of Paraguay and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
Although Kirchner’s death came as a shock to many, the former president had previously suffered bouts of ill health linked to his heart.
Twice this year he had undergone surgery to unblock arteries.
That frailty, coupled with his defeat in legislative elections last year, had undermined his political prospects somewhat, though he continued to command great respect.
Many Argentines hailed him as a hero when he was president for his defiance against the IMF, which he blamed for Argentina’s economic woes.
Although irritable and quick to anger, he forged an identity as a strong leader for his efforts to pay off some of the debt Argentina had defaulted on.
Questions were raised over his propriety in office and afterward, however, when it was revealed he and his wife had accumulated an US$11 million fortune while many others in Argentina saw their own wealth dwindle.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number