Following the shocking assassination attempt on the nation’s vice president the previous day, which sparked an outpouring of support in a nation beset by extreme political polarisation and an economic crisis, hundreds of thousands of Argentines descended on the capital’s main plaza on Friday in a show of solidarity.
On Thursday night, a man approached Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner outside of her Buenos Aires house and pointed a loaded pistol at her, but the weapon did not fire.
Authorities have not yet determined why Fernandez de Kirchner, a left-leaning former president of the South American nation, was attacked.
Her supporters, linked unions, and other activists gathered in Buenos Aires’ historic Plaza de Mayo, near to the Casa Rosada presidential offices, on Friday.
Santiago Bianco, a teacher in his 58th year, expressed his gratitude to God and the Virgin for stopping the bullet.
Others in the crowded plaza mirrored her nervous relief at averting a much greater disaster.
Claudia, 37, who would not give her last name, added, ‘For us, the notion that something like that might happen to Cristina is inconceivable. Last night, we were spared from a dreadful situation that is beyond our comprehension.’
The incident, which occurred against a backdrop of a terrible economic downturn caused by sky-high inflation and the depreciating value of the peso currency, was denounced by political leaders from the region, American officials, and Pope Francis of Argentina.
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