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Argentina
The force of democracy
may be excessive
An unexpected turn is leading the conflict between the Argentinean
Executive Power and the rural sector into more reasonable
channels, however dangerous for the Kirchner’s prestige.
Mendoza, a very important wine region, plays a main role.
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report by Ricardo
Brizuela, Director of Diario del Vino
When
Argentine president in office, Cristina Fernandez
de Kirchner, chose the former governor of the province
of Mendoza Julio Cobos as her running-mate, it seemed that
her choice had been based only in an electoral calculus.
The acceptance of the candidate, who is ideologically outside
the peronism political movement, had a strong impact in the
manicheist schemes of Argentine Politics.
Nonetheless, there he is, Cobos as the vice-president.
The news is that he is in charge, and seems to want it. This
may explain why he has decided to mediate in the struggle
between the rural areas and the government, and has summoned
to a governors meeting in order to attain this. Yet, the Executive
Power, who once turned to him as an electoral tool, now rebukes
him and accuses him of being a social climber.
However, the former governor of the province of Mendoza
has presented solid arguments. Major Argentinean newspapers,
such as La Nación,
examine his points of view.
Cobos, in the function of vice-president, has the power that
few vice-presidents have exercised in the Argentine political
schema, which has a strongly presidentialist tradition.
- He is a natural president of the National Senate
- He is from one of the provinces that in this last period
developed most: Mendoza. The reason for its development is
that as governor he took some measures that motivated production
and its insertion had tremendous international impact
- He maintains a very close dialogue with Congress Members
from the Argentinean northern region of Cuyo, and also from
other wine producer regions such as Río Negro and Neuquen.
This position places him as a privileged interlocutor in Congress.
(See
Mendoza Congress Members opinions on deductions)
- He has influence over some governors, despite the fact that
many of them depend highly on the decisions of the Executive
Power, and heavy weight representatives of the Argentinean
political field also respect him.
Now the Kirchners
know that the fact that they sent to Congress
the debate over whether to ratify the export deductions, adopted
by the government and rejected by the production sector and
by the opposition, may cause difficulties in the very core
of the democratic discussion. It is also probable that as
a consequence of this conflict, the power of deciding over
deductions and taxes returns to its natural place, i.e., to
Congress.
In Argentina, right now, there is a light
at the end of the tunnel.
See related articles:
Mexico, June 28th, 2008
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