Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is active but will not appear on the frontline of national politics any time soon, despite the end of her 14-day quarantine period coming to an end after returning from Cuba.
Preferring to remain in the shadows for now, the vice-president is not even expected to return to action when the Senate beings to emerge from its coronavirus-induced paralysis next week.
However, the former president is active, with sources in the government saying she prefers to talk to "her own" people for now, i.e. those aligned with her.
She talks daily with the governor of Buenos Aires Province, Axel Kicillof, for example. She is closely watching the measures introduced to tackle the spread of the virus, sources say.
The conversations with Kicillof, her former economy minister, usually last longer than those with President Alberto Fernández, those close to her say.There are even days when the former president communicates more than once with the provincial chief. She also talks to his officials.
Fernanda Raverta, the Community Development Minister for the country's most-populous region, has a direct line to the Unidad Ciudadana leader and informs her about social assistance plan for the most vulnerable neighbourhoods, especially in the suburbs. Two weeks ago Cristina started communicating with the local mayors to monitor the situation in their districts.
The former president is avoiding dialogue with the opposition. She prefers to leave this task in the hands of her trusted senators, José Mayans and Anabel Fernández Sagasti.
This Monday, the president of the Juntos por el Cambio caucus in the Senate, Luis Naidenoff, sent Fernández de Kirchner a letter to demand that parliamentary activity be resumed and that the Health Commission be engaged.
Earlier this week, the vice-president visited the president at the Quinta de Olivos presidential residence after complying with mandatory quarantine measures upon her return from Cuba. She returned from Havana with her daughter, Florencia. As with during conversations with provincial and municipal officials, Fernández de Kirchner reportedly showed concerns about the poorest sectors, and how they will be affected by the handbrake that's currently on the economy.
– PERFIL
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