On the day after her legacy was officially put in jeopardy, the president was, uncharacteristically, lying low.
Customarily outspoken President Cristina Fernandez stayed out of the limelight on Monday after her handpicked political heir scored an unexpectedly poor result in Argentina’s presidential elections and her controversial Cabinet chief was defeated in a key gubernatorial race.
The term-limited Ms. Fernandez, who will hand over the presidency on Dec. 10 after eight years in power, had returned to Buenos Aires on Sunday afternoon after voting in the southern Argentine province of Santa Cruz. She reportedly watched the returns from the presidential country house outside the capital.
Rumors of a possible appearance at an election night rally for Buenos Aires Gov. Daniel Scioli, her coalition’s presidential nominee, never materialized, and the event broke up after midnight when official results showed that Mr. Scioli would be forced into a Nov. 22 runoff with center-right Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri.
Members of the ruling coalition were still trying to digest Sunday’s disappointing vote amid hopes that Mr. Scioli was on the verge of winning the presidency outright in the first round. Mr. Macri, who celebrated like a winner even after his second-place finish, has talked of swiftly dismantling key parts of Ms. Fernandez’s agenda, ending trade and currency controls and presenting a far friendlier face to businesses and international investors.
Mr. Scioli on Monday refused to reveal whether Ms. Fernandez had called him, saying only that the two spoke “whenever necessary and in numerous circumstances.” Alicia Kirchner, the sister of Ms. Fernandez’ late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, meanwhile, did confirm a conversation with the president.
“A courageous woman called me and said to me, ’Hello, governor,’” Alicia Kirchner said about her sister-in-law, in whose Cabinet she serves as minister of social development. Ms. Fernandez’s son, Maximo, meanwhile, will represent Santa Cruz in Congress, where the outgoing president’s coalition nevertheless suffered yet another defeat Sunday, losing its majority.
Maria Eugenia Vidal, Mr. Macri’s vice mayor, scored another stunning upset by beating Ms. Fernandez’s Cabinet chief, Anibal Fernandez, in the Buenos Aires gubernatorial vote. Ms. Vidal, however, did not receive such a congratulatory call.
Mayor-elect Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, who on Dec. 10 will succeed Mr. Macri at the Buenos Aires city hall, meanwhile, counseled Ms. Vidal not to hold her breath, noting that Ms. Fernandez had yet to acknowledge his July 19 election victory.
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