Argentines Analyze Chávez’s Political Legacy  · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

All links lead to Spanish-language website unless otherwise noted.
Due to the death [en] of  Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, declared three days of national mourning. In the meantime, Argentinean bloggers analyze the political life of the Venezuelan leader.
Gerardo Fernandez, from the blog  Tirando al Medio (Targeting Media), analyzes the last century's political systems and the new foundations of this new political era in his post “Chávez, la democracia y el sentido de las palabras” (Chavez, democracy, and the meaning of words):
Durante casi todo el siglo pasado, las derechas continentales recurrieron a las Fuerzas Armadas para derrocar gobiernos electos democráticamente porque, según ellas, se habían apartado “del camino correcto” y en consecuencia los golpes cívico-militares se perpetraban con el “bienintencionado fin” de generar las condiciones para una democracia mejor.
El punto es que esta mecánica fue funcional a la interrupción constante del proceso democrático latinoamericano. Hasta que el nuevo siglo vio implosionar al neoliberalismo y sus consecuencias quedaron a la vista de todos. Ahí, la irrupción de Hugo Chávez se torna definitiva para comenzar a sentar las bases de un nuevo tiempo político.
During most of the last century, right-wing parties from this continent used Armed Forces to overthrow democratic governments since –according to them- they had all abandoned the “right path” and, therefore, civilian-military coup d’états were carried out aiming at the “good-intentioned goal” of creating conditions for a better democracy.
By putting this thought into practice, right-winged parties could often halt Latin America's democratic process. Nevertheless, it was not until the new century that the implosion of Neoliberalism could be perceived and its consequences could be easily noticed. In this period, Chavez's emergence is the key to start establishing the new foundations in this new political era.
In this train of thought, Marcelo Fernandez from the Novedades por el sur (News on the South), intends to recall “a fact that should raise awareness among us”.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner with Hugo Chávez, December  1st 2011. Image shared by the Flick user chavezcandanga under license Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Hugo Chávez Frías ha pasado a la historia como un líder latinoamericano que retomó una serie de banderas olvidadas a raíz de los embates furibundos que el neoliberalismo asestó a nuestra región. Ya desde 1992 -pero desde 1998 como presidente- Chávez comenzó a re-habilitar las nociones de Patria Grande, Socialismo, integración latinoamericana, Estado fuerte y redistribución de las riquezas, etc.
Hugo Chavez Frias has gone down in history as the Latin American Leader who retook some long forgotten symbols due to the enraged Neoliberalism clashes in our region. Ever since 1992, though it started in 1998 when he was elected, Chavez started to restore some concepts such as: Patria Grande, Socialism, Latin-American integration, strong State, redistribution of wealth, etc.
Moreover, the ‘Contradicto de San Telmo’ blogger wrote a poem entitled “El Perón Tropical”  (The Tropical Peron). Its verses remind us of a phrase that appeared as graffiti after the news on the death of Eva Duarte de Peron were revealed: “Long live Cancer!” [en]
While elites opens their expensive sparkling wines
Sober markets reach their climax
The powerful are turned on by their wet dreams of power
In the Doral mansions they prepare, drunk,
The painting made of tar with which they will rewrite
For the umpteenth time their laconic “Long Live Cancer”
Nevertheless, not all Argentine bloggers consider the economic policies of the Chavez Government a positive legacy. Esteban Tabasco affirms in his blog Argentina Abierta  [es] (Open Argentina):
Que nadie se equivoque: Chávez no erradicó la pobreza de Venezuela, erradicó la riqueza.
Porque un país sólo puede jactarse de haber eliminado el hambre cuando generó trabajo genuino para toda la gente, y no cuando reparte bolsas de comida, como Chávez.
Do not get confused: Chavez did not eradicate poverty in Venezuela. Instead, he eradicated wealth.
Because the only way a country can be proud of eradicating hunger is when it has created actual jobs for all people, not when it hands out food for free, like Hugo Chavez did.
Other Argentines, like football player Diego Armando Maradona (@DiegoAMaradona), used social networks to say good bye to the Venezuelan President:
@DiegoAMaradona: Hasta siempre comandante @chavezcandanga , lo vamos a extrañar x siempre #ChavezVive
@DiegoAMaradona: Farewell, Commander @chavezcandanga, we will miss you forever #ChavezVive