Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced Monday she will seek a seat in the Buenos Aires Provincial Legislature in the upcoming Sept. 7 elections, representing La Matanza and other southern districts on the outskirts of the capital.
The two-term president and former vice president framed her candidacy as a strategic return to grassroots politics, citing the historic underrepresentation of Greater Buenos Aires suburbs in provincial decision-making. “You have to go where you’re most useful,” Fernández de Kirchner said during a televised interview with C5N. “This is not about the Buenos Aires Legislature; it’s about common sense.”
Her announcement comes amid growing tensions within Peronism over election logistics and political strategy. Fernández de Kirchner sharply criticized the decision to hold provincial and federal elections on separate dates, calling the schedule “fragmented” and burdensome for voters. The staggered timeline will require more than 17 million residents of Buenos Aires Province to vote twice in less than two months, with national midterm elections slated for Oct. 26.
The former president also took aim at Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof — once a close political ally — for supporting the split calendar. She warned that the lack of unity within Peronist ranks could lead to electoral losses, citing the performance of Mayor Jorge Macri’s PRO party, which underperformed in recent contests against President Javier Milei’s La Libertad Avanza (LLA) as well as Peronist candidates.
Fernández de Kirchner’s remarks were also sharply critical of Milei, whom she described as leading a “cruel, esoteric right-wing” administration. She argued that the country has transitioned from a “dollar trap” to a “wage trap,” suggesting that government policies favor the wealthy at the expense of working-class Argentines. “He is a marginal in politics,” she said of Milei. “And instead of addressing marginalization and vulnerability, he serves the powerful.”
The election will mark Fernández de Kirchner’s first run for public office since leaving the vice presidency in December 2023.
