VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBU #0652 1371258
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161258Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1053
RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000652
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: NESTOR KIRCHNER OFFICIALLY ASSUMES PJ
PRESIDENCY
REF: (A) BUENOS AIRES 0514 (B) BUENOS AIRES 0196 (C) BUENOS AIRES
0592
1. (SBU) Summary: Former President Nestor Kirchner (NK) assumed
presidency of the Justicialist (Peronist) party (PJ) officially on
May 14 at a rally in the province of Buenos Aires. The event began
with several emphatic and hardline speeches from party officials.
NK was expected to use the occasion to lash out at enemies, real and
imagined, as is his wont. That didn't happen, however. His
acceptance speech lasted less than a minute and only served to
introduce his wife, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner who
delivered brief remarks widely interpreted as conciliatory toward
the agricultural sector, prompting speculation that farmers would
call another truce in their two-month old protest of tax increases
on agricultural exports. End summary.
The PJ Comes Out Swinging
-------------------------
2. (SBU) Kirchner won the presidency of the Justicialist
("Peronist") Party after presenting his unchallenged slate for the
leadership positions of the party on April 18 (ref A) but his party
leadership was formalized at yesterday's rally. The first
hard-hitting speeches at the rally were delivered by two of the PJ
vice presidents, Governor of Chaco Province Jorge Capitanich and CGT
labor leader Hugo Moyano. Moyano took a hard line, accusing
striking farmers of "taking the truck drivers hostage." Moyano also
harshly criticized the opposition, which met in Congress with rural
sector leaders for the first time on May 14. Capitanich repeated
Moyano's criticisms of the opposition and emphasized the importance
of economic growth with wealth re-distribution. (Note: Capitanich
has elevated his profile in recent days, and his name has even been
mentioned as a possible replacement for beleaguered Cabinet Chief
Alberto Fernandez.)
CFK Makes Nice
--------------
3. (SBU) At the podium NK, widely assumed to be the keynote speaker
at his coronation ceremony, surprised the crowd and critics by
ceding the floor to his wife, President Cristina Fernandez de
Kirchner (CFK), presumably to counter growing speculation about his
role in GOA decision-making. Although CFK delivered her speech in
her customarily strident, hectoring tones, the speech lacked the
harsh, confrontational content of other speeches and was
significantly shorter, lasting a little more than 15 minutes. In
her speech, CFK avoided any direct reference to the conflict with
the rural sector and chose instead to emphasize a conciliatory
message, convoking "all Argentines...to debate and discuss in a
democratic framework."
Missing in Action
-----------------
4. (U) All of the PJ governors attended the rally, with the
exception of Cordoba Governor Juan Schiaretti, who has distanced
himself from the government during the agricultural strikes. Other
notable absences included Senator and former Governor of Santa Fe
Carlos Reutemann, former Entre Rios governor Jorge Busti, and
Senator Juan Carlos Romero. Former Economy Minister and brief NK
ally in the reconstruction of the PJ Roberto Lavagna also was not
present.
Action on the Sidelines
-----------------------
5. (SBU) To make sure everything wasn't too peaceful, a fight broke
out on the margins of the event between two groups of rival union
members, one of which was tied to PJ vice-president and teamsters
chief Moyano.
Comment
-------
6. (SBU) The backdrop to NK's inauguration as PJ president was the
government's ongoing crisis with the rural sector. Capitanich and
Moyano delivered the hardline government speeches, allowing the
Kirchners to be less confrontational, winning them some grudging
plaudits for their relatively "conciliatory" tone. The rally
nevertheless formally launched, per ref B, the rebirth of the PJ.
End comment.
WAYNE