The former president of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero warned that in the next elections in Argentina “democratic strength will be put to the test”, and affirmed that “the eagerness” against a political leader represents “a bad sign of the institutional situation”, in reference to to the assassination attempt against Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
“In the next elections, the democratic strength will be put to the test,” said Rodríguez Zapatero in the last hours, in dialogue with Radio 10, and He expressed his “concern” about a possible ban on a possible candidacy of Fernández de Kirchner.
The former Spanish president highlighted the “great relevance” of the upcoming elections in Argentina and urged that “it take place in a fully democratic context.”
“Trying to kill the vice president was trying to hurt Argentine democracy,” he said, referring to the attack that occurred last September, and for which he said he had experienced “the worst feelings about the fate of democracy.”
For Zapatero, “the eagerness” against a political leader “represents a bad sign of the country’s institutional situation,” for which he pointed out the “judicial overflow” that, he considered, “is affecting the essential nature of democracy.”
“When there is a part of society that thinks that there is no impartiality in a legal action against a political leader, something is happening,” he said, and warned that “this ‘something’ can be negative for everyone.”
When consulted by the different conservative expressions on the Argentine political map, the leader pointed out that “when the center-right turns to the right or loses democratic patience, we enter a stage where we are going to see the institutions creak, and surely a polarization of the society”.
“The acceptance of defeat is very important in a democracy”said Zapatero, who stressed that you have to “know how to lose.”
