Usually social events are part of the duties of every head of state.

The Argentine President Alberto Fernández, however, now threatens precisely those social dates to be doomed.

These are mainly those from last year, at a time when the government had imposed severe restrictions on the population in order to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

Argentina was practically silent for months.

Anyone who left the house faced a fine.

Social occasions were out of the question - except in the residence of the president, as the Argentines are now finding out.

Tjerk Brühwiller

Correspondent for Latin America based in São Paulo.

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A leaked list of visitors to the presidential residence "Olivos" has been causing a stir for a few days.

The visitors, who mostly sought the president's company in the evening, were clearly not there to discuss important government affairs, but to have fun.

Photos published a short time later of one of those happy evenings during the first wave of the pandemic left little doubt.

The picture was taken on the birthday of Fernández's partner Fabiola Yáñez on July 14, 2020. The picture shows eleven people, the presidential couple and nine friends, from actors to fitness trainers.

None of the guests is wearing a mask.

Excuses and lies

It would have been the moment for Fernández to admit his mistake and apologize. But the president got bogged down in excuses and lies. At first he claimed the photo was a montage. Only when the same photo in better quality turned up a little later did he admit its authenticity and apologize. But the president also failed to apologize. The party was organized by his partner, he claimed, whereupon he was accused of putting the responsibility on his partner. He also said he only stopped by the party that he hadn't known about beforehand.

The revelations about the convivial evenings in the presidential residence while the rest of Argentina was not allowed out is not only a communicative disaster for Fernández. They could have political consequences. The opposition has already filed a lawsuit against Fernández for disregarding the quarantine requirements. A public prosecutor then opened an investigation. In addition, the opposition wants to initiate impeachment proceedings, which, given the majority in Congress, is likely to be a purely symbolic act.

Fernández's misconduct could have a more concrete impact on the mid-term elections in November, when Argentina re-appoints part of Congress. Even before the revelations, the Peronist government coalition was under pressure. The revelations from the presidential residence should continue to bother her. According to a survey by the opinion research institute Management & Fit, practically all respondents know about the fateful photo, with around three quarters classifying the matter as serious or serious. Worse still, one in five respondents who previously wanted to vote for the ruling party said in the survey that they would no longer do so. How long this snapshot will last remains to be seen. The primaries will take place in September,which provide a first clue about voting behavior.

For a long time, there has been speculation about Fernández's influence within the governing coalition - and above all about that of his Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The appointment of two new ministers indicates the Kirchner wing's growing influence within the government. The president's antics during the pandemic further weaken his position. The question of how the information from the presidential residence could have leaked to the public and who was interested in it is also causing internal discussions. There is obviously criticism of Fernández from the Kirchner wing. He has no control over his innermost circle. "Stay cool, Alberto, and get your house in order," said Kirchner. “Don't get nervous and don't get angry.“What should look like encouragement and support for the president has also been interpreted by some analysts in Argentina as a covert threat.