Uki Goni writes:  Under a torrential downpour, hundreds of thousands of people marched in silence in Buenos Aires on Wednesday evening. Soaked to the bone, old and young alike held their ground to pay tribute to Alberto Nisman, the crusading prosecutor whose deathi under mysterious circumstances one month ago has created political turmoil with as yet unforeseeable consequences in Argentina.

If such a massive and spontaneous display of respect for the man who dared accuse Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in court of attempting to cover up what he alleged was Iran’s role in the deadliest terrorist bombing in Argentina’s history grated on the mind of the president, she certainly did not show it.

The march came days after Nisman’s 289-page criminal complaint was made public. Nisman’s death may yet prematurely end her time in office, but Fernández’s life story to date reads like a fairytale.r.

Unlike Evita, who held no elected post, the energetic and highly intelligent Fernández launched herself into an independent political career that quickly outshone that of her husband.

With the economy in tatters but with no viable opposition to question his bold tactics, Kirchner stood up to big business and bondholders and led the economy on a dramatic turnaround that felt nothing short of miraculous. The couple’s popularity ratings soared to over 70% and stayed there for years. In 2007.

Buoyed by solid approval ratings and a booming economy, Argentina’s first elected female president introduced generous social spending programmes that boosted her popularity even further. The reforms included what may be her proudest achievement, a universal child benefit plan that has helped many families out of poverty and raised school attendance to peak levels.