BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s dominant political force of the past half century or more has long been defined by personalities over policies. Now, the Peronists can’t rally behind a candidate for this year’s election — not even the president himself.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the two-term former president and now second-in-command who maintains tight control over the movement, has said she won’t be a contender and openly opposes a run by President Alberto Fernandez, whom she picked to lead the ticket in 2019.
The failure to unite around a candidate is the product of a leadership vacuum carved out by years of political infighting, with the result that the ruling coalition is facing the prospect of its worst election result in decades. The dysfunction at the top threatens to store up challenges for any potential successor at a time of already drastic economic crisis.
