The convicted former president announced on C5N that she will be a candidate in the provincial elections
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In a political landscape marked by electoral uncertainty and internal fragmentation within Peronism, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner surprised by confirming her candidacy as a provincial legislator for Buenos Aires Province. She did so in a televised interview on C5N with Gustavo Sylvestre, host of the program Minuto Uno, where she is also expected to review the country's current social, economic, and political situation.
In a new move that has sparked strong reactions in various sectors, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner confirmed this Sunday on C5N that she will be a candidate in the provincial legislative elections to be held next September 7 in Buenos Aires Province. The former president —who has already been convicted in the first instance for corruption in the Vialidad case— will run as a legislator for the third electoral section, one of the regions historically most loyal to Peronism.
Mientras millones de argentinos sobreviven con salarios mínimos, la ex mandataria reclama la restitución de más de 21 millones de pesos mensuales.
"If someone made the decision to split the elections thinking that the opposition (in the Province) would go divided, but it won't be like that," Cristina stated during the interview, in a clear criticism of the Buenos Aires provincial government, without mentioning names but hinting at the discontent within Peronism itself.
"We must step up to achieve the best possible result," she declared during the interview with journalist Gustavo Sylvestre, one of the voices closest to Kirchnerism. From her role as president of the Justicialist Party (PJ), Cristina called for unity within the Peronist space and expressed her concern about the effects of the split elections between Nation and Province, which she considered "inconvenient" for the ruling party.
"The province is very large, 17 million people who will have to vote twice in eight weeks," she stated, while questioning the possibility of a poor electoral performance in Buenos Aires territory. "How will that affect the rest of the country?" she asked rhetorically, highlighting Peronism's fear of losing its key stronghold.
Cristina Kirchner, condenada por corrupción.
During the conversation, the former president also referred to the results obtained in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, where Peronism reached 27.4% of the votes, a figure she attributed to the internal unity of the lists. "Unity doesn't guarantee victory, but if you're divided you can lose, and you lose badly," she stated.
Regarding the possibility of suspending the September elections—a speculation that arose amid the chaos of the electoral schedule—Kirchner flatly ruled out that alternative: "I would never ask a leader to change their decision." However, she offered an indirect criticism of the current provincial administration:
"If I had made a decision based on factual assumptions that later did not materialize, I would review my decision. Men have a different way of deciding. Men always have this thing that if they don't do what they say, they lose. I never had that problem. If I have to retract because the factual assumptions disappeared, I do it."
Regarding the criticism she received for running for a provincial legislative position after having served as president for two consecutive terms, Cristina replied with a comparison intended to downplay her decision: "Those are the words of people who believe politics is a hierarchy. I'll remind you of a colleague like (Jorge) Capitanich, who was governor twice, chief of staff twice, and then a candidate for mayor in Resistencia to help Peronism win Chaco Province."
To conclude, she defended her candidacy for the third electoral section, arguing that it is an "underrepresented" area. She extended that criticism to Greater Buenos Aires as a whole, stating that the interior of the province has "greater representation with far fewer people."
"You have to go where you are most useful at the right time. That's how I see politics. For me, that's what it's about: betting on the collective project moving forward," she concluded.
The announcement comes while the Justicialist Party continues to define its electoral strategy in Buenos Aires Province, with multiple sectors in conflict and a leadership that has not managed to renew its ranks or offer credible alternatives after the poor results of recent years.
