Former Argentine President Carlos Menem (1989-1999) was buried Monday in the Jewish cemetery in La Tablada, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, after an Islamic ceremony led by the president of the Argentine Islamic Center, Aníbal Bachir Bakir.
After reading several passages from the Qur’an and prayers in Arabic and Spanish, Bakir highlighted the importance of Menem and his “dedication” to society. “The only justice is divine justice,” he recalled, while calling for “the political class to think more about God.”
“Carlos Saúl Menem, on behalf of the Islamic community and many Argentines, we tell you that you will always be in our hearts and in the hearts of our people. May you rest in peace,” he said.
The ceremony was attended by his relatives, such as his ex-wife Zulema Yoma, his daughter Zulema María Eva, his grandchildren Luca Bertoldi and Malek Pocovi and other relatives, friends and collaborators of the former president.
After the religious service, those present approached the coffin, wrapped in an Argentine flag and another with the blue and red colors of the Federal League emblem, the group that catapulted Menem to say goodbye to the former president. Menem is already resting next to the remains of his son Carlos Saúl Facundo, who died in 1995 in a helicopter crash.
Previously, Menem’s body was in the Blue Room of the Senate of the Argentine Congress, where for two hours anyone could approach the vigil.
Leaders, businessmen and union members sent wreaths to pay tribute to the former president, including President Alberto Fernández and Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, among others. On Sunday, political figures such as Daniel Scioli, Eduardo Duhalde and Sergio Massa said goodbye to Menem.
The coffin was fired by a military troop that performed a funeral march on the esplanade of Parliament. Then the procession traveled several main roads from Buenos Aires to the cemetery.
Menem died this Sunday, at the age of 90, in the Los Arcos sanatorium in Buenos Aires, where he was hospitalized for a urinary tract infection after suffering heart problems. In its decade in power, Argentina strengthened the democratic system after the dictatorship and experienced a deep social crisis as a result of neoliberal reforms.