What's a woman to do when her political boyfriend passes away?
The scene outside of the Venezuelan Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina the day after Hugo Chavez died was highly symbolic of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's relationship with El Comandante. In the early morning, mournful Argentines stood outside the Embassy lamenting his passing. Hand-written signs thanked Chavez for buying Argentine bonds without a tinge of irony.
Later in the day, government-paid supporters stood outside of the embassy, uninterestedly waving Argentine flags and conveniently blocking traffic along Avenida Luis Maria Campos just at rush hour.
The question is now, how does Kirchner move on? For a woman who has dressed in black since the passing of Nestor Kirchner, her husband and former president in 2010, the passing of Hugo Chavez, her soulmate in policy, is also a blow.
Since Nestor's death, Kirchner has moved ideologically closer to Chavez, implementing various programs that have made the Argentine business class nervous and given rise to terms like "Argenzuela." Even supporters of Kirchner have joked over the last few years that Kirchner and Hugo were an item, if for no other reason, her blatant copying of his policies.
The parallels are many, but some of the most famous are: