Buenos Aires — On Thursday, a man tried to shoot Argentine Vice President Cristina Kirchner near her residence in Buenos Aires, a terrible occurrence that triggered an outpouring of condolences from Latin American leaders.
“Cristina is still alive because, for reasons that have not yet been proved technically, the gun with five shots did not discharge despite the trigger being pushed,” stated Argentine President Alberto Fernandez in a national speech.
“This is the most significant event since we established democracy in 1983,” added Fernandez.
The man was shown on video aiming a firearm directly towards Kirchner’s head.
From 2007 until 2015, Kirchner served as the country’s leader; she is currently facing corruption allegations.
President Alberto Fernandez, right, and Vice President Cristina Fernandez celebrate the 100th anniversary of the state-owned oil corporation YPF on June 3, 2022, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Gustavo Garello/AP
The event occurred in the posh Recoleta area of Buenos Aires.
“I saw this arm come up over my shoulder behind me with a rifle, and with people around me, he was restrained,” an unidentified Kirchner supporter told AFP.
Minister of Security Anibal Fernandez said that a suspect had been apprehended on Thursday night, but that detectives still needed to investigate the crime scene and the incident’s circumstances.
According to local media, the suspect was a Brazilian national aged 35.
A person watches a mobile phone video of a man brandishing a pistol at Argentine Vice President Cristina Kirchner outside of her Buenos Aires apartment on September 1, 2022. LUIS ROBAYO/AFP/Getty
President Fernandez announced Friday a national holiday so that citizens may “assert themselves in defense of the life of democracy and in support of our vice president.”
After the foiled attempt, many prominent Latin American leaders reaffirmed their support for Kirchner, 69.
Thursday night, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a staunch Kirchner friend, tweeted his support with a video depicting the attempted assault.
Enviamos nuestra solidaridad a la Vicepresidenta @CFKArgentina, ante el atentado contra su vida. Repudiamos enérgicamente esta acción que busca desestabilizar la Paz del hermano pueblo argentino. ¡La Patria Grande está contigo compañera! #FuerzaArgentina #FuerzaCristina pic.twitter.com/BEqRsYIMjl
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) September 2, 2022
He added, “We extend our support to Vice President Cristina Kirchner in the wake of the attempt on her life.” “This conduct, which intended to undermine the tranquility of the Argentine people, is categorically rejected. The vast nation is with you, brother!”
President Gabriel Boric of Chile likewise expressed his support for President Kirchner and the Argentine people.
“The attempted assassination merits the censure and rejection of the whole continent,” he stated. “The route will always consist of intellectual discourse and conversation, never of violence or weaponry.”
President Luis Arce of Bolivia has also stated his support for Kirchner.
The opposition group Together for Change denounced the attempted assassination of Kirchner and demanded a thorough inquiry.
Mauricio Macri, who succeeded Cristina Kirchner as president, tweeted, “My unequivocal rejection of the assault endured by Cristina Kirchner, who luckily was not hurt.” Prosecutors and security forces must conduct a swift and thorough inquiry into this very grave incident.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the former president of Brazil who is now embroiled in a bitter election campaign, also condemned Kirchner’s assailant as “a fascist criminal who does not accept differences and diversity.”
Kirchner, a trained attorney who replaced her late husband, Nestor Kirchner, as president, is accused of awarding public works contracts unlawfully in Patagonia, her political stronghold.
Prosecutors accuse her of cheating the state of an estimated $1 billion and are seeking a 12-year jail term and a lifelong ban from politics.
In recent days, hundreds of protestors have gathered in front of her house to oppose the accusations.
Kirchner said last week, “Nothing, absolutely nothing that they have asserted has been substantiated.”
The judgment is anticipated before the end of the year in her case.
She is the president of the country’s Senate and has parliamentary immunity, which provides her with some legal protection. Even if convicted, she would not be sent to jail until her sentence is approved by the Supreme Court or she loses her Senate seat in the 2023 elections.