BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) ― Argentine President Cristina Fernandez spoke publicly for the first time in 42 days on Wednesday, ending a long silence that had led to speculation about her health following head surgery.
In a nationally televised address, Fernandez announced the creation of a program to aid young, unemployed Argentines who attend public school with an $80 subsidy. She also criticized those who speculated about her fate during her absence.
“I hope nobody criticizes this nationally televised address after demanding my presence so much,” Fernandez said. “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.”
The first years of Fernandez’s presidency where like a reality television show, with near daily television speeches and later on she was known for her constant tweets on topics ranging from politics to pictures with Pope Francis or her dogs. Sometimes she recounted casual conversations she had with Argentines on the road, the birth of her grandson and even her musings on the Games of Thrones, her favorite TV show.
But Fernandez made her last comments on Twitter on Dec. 13, criticizing a protest by police.
The uncharacteristic silence fed speculation in Argentina about her health in the wake of Oct. 8 head surgery. Some opponents even questioned who was really running the country.
Fernandez’s Cabinet members dismissed the questions, saying she was fully in command. But they never explained the reason behind her silence at a time when Argentina is grappling with double-digit inflation, lower economic growth and dwindling foreign reserves needed to meet foreign debt payments and finance economic stimulus programs.
Her Cabinet chief has said she will travel to Cuba for a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States on Jan. 28 and to Venezuela for a meeting of the Mercosur trade bloc on Jan. 31.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
