Argentine President Alberto Fernandez announced that he will not run in the October general elections. "It is clear that we did not achieve everything we set out to do", acknowledged the president after listing a series of measures taken by his government in a video posted on his Twitter account. "Beyond the internal criticisms, the greater or lesser accompaniment, I don't have an adversary in the Frente de Todos (his party)."
December 10, 2023 is the exact day on which we celebrate 40 years of democracy. On that day I will hand over the presidential sash to whoever has been legitimately elected at the ballot box by popular vote.
Mi decisión 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/EEQBJaxDUz
— Alberto Fernández (@alferdez) April 21, 2023
The video was released hours before the start of the Justicialist Party Council, a meeting of Peronist supporters to be chaired by Fernández. The latest polls predicted a poor result if he were to run: his administration has a 71% disapproval rating, the worst in the last 17 years for a president, according to a Poliarquía survey reported by Infobae. However, some recent polls showed him as the best performer among his party's candidates. Far, however, from the opposition.
Fernandez's decision follows the announcement by her predecessor, Mauricio Macri, that he would abstain from participating in the upcoming elections. With several candidates already confirmed, the big question is whether Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner will run.
