Argentine President Cristina Fernandez Recovering From Brain Surgery

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner went under the knife on Tuesday to remove a blood clot located close to her brain.

Following the procedure spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro said, “The operation went very well. The president is in her room. She is in very good spirits. She said hello to everyone.”

The brain surgery was performed at the Favaloro Foundation clinic in Buenos Aires.

Fernández de Kirchner’s surgery drained blood and relieved pressure from insider her skull after an undisclosed heady injury.

The successful surgery could leave Argentina’s president out of commission for weeks, maybe even months. That would put the country’s control under the command of Vice President Amado Boudou, despite an investigation against Boudou for allegations of corruption and illegal enrichment.

Fernández will not be available to campaign for midterm elections set for Oct. 27. The county’s leader and her Peronist party are currently facing an uphill battle to retain control of the National Congress. Her parties control of that sector of government has made it easier to partake in generous state spending and intervention.

The country is currently experiencing a 25 percent inflation rate which has contributed to Fernández’s approval rating falling to 33.5 percent after a 2011 landslide election victory.

Fernández came to popularity with Argentina’s citizens after her late husband, Nestor Kirchner, claimed the presidency and led the country out of its economic woes following its $100 billion debt default. Both Kirchner and Fernández fueled the country’s economy on the backs of social programs and subsidies.

Cristina Fernández rose to power in 2007, however, in her second term the economy has struggled as state-sponsored intervention and China’s slowdown have depressed demand for products from Argentina. The country’s president has also been forced to fend off creditors which has put her country at odds with the Obama administration.

In 2010 the country’s economy grew by 10 percent, in 2013 that expectation is a meager three percent.