For a sector of Argentine politics, any means are valid to win an election. Some tools are more recurrent than others; the use of false accusations and the joint operation of the media to spread them seem to be a constant. Opposing Kirchnerism comes at a cost, and the candidate for national deputy, Jose Luis Espert, is not the first to experience it.
A review of the recent history of our country can shed light on the typical modus operandi of the "standard-bearers of democracy" during election times. Before the term exploded in 2016, "fake news" was already being used in national politics.
De Narváez, a previous rehearsal
In 2009, it was said that "He beat them all together." At that time, the Unión Pro candidate, Francisco de Narváez, had defeated former president Néstor Kirchner, who was using the support of Sergio Massa and other Peronists as a symbol of unity. The ruling party had been hit hard by the impact of the infamous Resolution 125, promoted by the current president of the Unión Cívica Radical, Martín Lousteau.
Nevertheless, the campaign was not free of obstacles for the now-retired opposition politician. Although over the years his guilt was never proven, nor was he charged or convicted, during the campaign he was accused of having ties to drug trafficking and ephedrine.
He was summoned to testify in record time by Federico Faggionato Márquez, a former federal judge removed for lack of impartiality, irregular handling of complex cases, and other reasons related to poor performance in 2010. He was also targeted by figures such as Aníbal Fernández, Minister of Security and Justice at the time, Horacio Verbitsky, Montonero journalist from Página 12, and Néstor Kirchner himself.
To this day, Francisco is one of the most successful businessmen in Latin America. He is the leader of Grupo De Narváez, owner of ChangoMás in Argentina and other companies in the region. Far from politics and with an impeccable judicial record, he is, for those familiar with our history, an example of how far the figures hiding behind Fuerza Patria can go.
"I believe this is the way to do it. It has been tried in the past; there is no room for half-measures," the businessman declared in July, in an interview with the newspaper El País of Uruguay, referring to the liberal project in Argentina. He expressed a wish for success to the president "for the good of Argentines":
