A survey asked about the new leader of the PJ and Máximo Kirchner received 3%.

The confirmation of the corruption conviction against former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner by the Supreme Court of Justice not only has judicial consequences, but the political impact within Kirchnerism is deep.

According to a new survey conducted by the Observatory of Applied Social Psychology (OPSA) of the Faculty of Psychology at UBA, the movement is facing a representation crisis without strong figures capable of inheriting the leadership of the corrupt former president.

The poll, conducted nationwide between June 12 and 14 with 1,030 cases and a margin of error of ±3%, explored both social reactions to the ruling and the political future of Kirchnerist Peronism. The results are clear: 65% of respondents supported the judicial decision, compared to 31% who rejected it. The remaining 4% expressed neutrality.

When asked how they felt upon hearing the news, most respondents answered with words such as "Justice," which clearly stood out in the word cloud caused by OPSA. Other recurring feelings were "joy," "happiness," and "thief."

Regarding the institutional impact, 54% believe the conviction strengthens democracy, while 36% think it weakens it. For 10%, it has no effect on the system.

The succession of Kirchnerist leadership

However, the most revealing finding of the study concerns leadership within the Justicialist Party, after Cristina Kirchner was permanently disqualified from holding public office and was automatically removed from her role as president of the PJ.

To the question "Who do you think is the best leader to succeed her in the leadership of the Justicialist Party?", the numbers exposed the weakness of Kirchnerism without Cristina. 39% chose Axel Kicillof, the governor of Buenos Aires Province, who in recent months entered into a tough internal dispute with the former president. However, it was not a categorical endorsement: in second place, with 31%, was the option "I still don't see anyone capable of succeeding her."

Social leader Juan Grabois ranked third, with 21%, consolidating himself as an emerging figure in the movement's most extreme left-wing sectors. An unusual fact is that Máximo Kirchner, the former president's son, was chosen by only 3% of respondents. The rest of the figures are far behind:

• Sergio Massa: 2%
• Eduardo "Wado" de Pedro: 1%
• José Mayans: 1%
• Ricardo Quintela and Sergio Ziliotto: 0%

The data on the governors is symbolic: despite being the most active in their confrontation with Javier Milei, they generate no expectations whatsoever in public opinion.

This survey confirms what many analysts had anticipated: without Cristina Kirchner as an electoral heavyweight, Kirchnerism is left without clear leadership or successors with political stature. Meanwhile, the former president's internal weakening reinforces the advance of other sectors within Peronism and leaves the movement facing an existential dilemma about its future.