CFK, Massa reunite at rally for first joint appearance since 2009 split

The return of Sergio Massa to mainstream Peronism came full circle on Saturday, with the former presidential hopeful appearing alongside Cristina Fernández de Kirchner during the latest presentation of her memoirs Sinceramente (Sincerely).

Massa will lead the list of candidates for the Lower House representing Buenos Aires province, sharing the ballot with presidential candidate Alberto Fernández and his running mate Fernández de Kirchner.

"If we fight among ourselves, outsiders will devour us," Senator Fernández de Kirchner told the crowd, which included Massa and his wife, Lower House candidate, Malena Galmarini.

"Those of us who grew apart are now coming back together because Argentina is more important than our differences," she added.

"I believe, Sergio, that they (in reference to the Legislative branch) must consider a mechanism to protect us from a person who, in an attempt to win an election, decides to do whatever he likes and throw generations and generations of Argentines into debt. We must do something to ensure this never happens again", she urged, referring to the Mauricio Macri government.

The much-awaited photo of Fernández de Kirchner alongside Massa came to fruition in Tortuguitas, in Malvinas Argentinas, two months after Massa met with presidential hopeful Fernández for a similar photo opportunity.

Massa, who was briefly Cabinet Chief in the Fernández de Kirchner government, broke from the then-president in 2009 before campaigning against her coalition in the 2013 mid-term elections.

The Renewal Front laeder has long expressed his desire to become president. However, he struggled to regain ground on Fernández and incumbent Macri in the lead up to the confirmation of candidacies, with heightened polarisation in society pushing many third-option candidates to the side lines.

The former ANSES welfare agency chief and ex-Tigre mayor returned to the Peronist movement's main coalition in June, announcing he would give up his presidential bid.

-TIMES/PERFIL