• Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was shot at from close range Thursday night.
• .The attack sparked an outpouring of support in a country gripped by political and economic crisis.
• Hundreds of thousands of Argentines descended on the capital’s main plaza on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of Argentines descended on the capital’s main plaza on Friday in a show of solidarity in the aftermath of a shocking assassination attempt on the country’s vice president the day before, which sparked an outpouring of support in a country gripped by deep political polarisation and economic crisis.

An assailant pointed a loaded pistol at Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner from close range outside her Buenos Aires home, where crowds had gathered Thursday night, but the gun did not fire.

Authorities have not determined a motive for the attack on Fernandez de Kirchner, the country’s former leftist president.

The historic Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, next to the Casa Rosada presidential offices, was overflowing with her flag-waving supporters, allied unions, and other activists on Friday.

“Thank God and the Virgin that the bullet didn’t come out,” said Santiago Bianco, 58.

Others in the crowded plaza expressed nervous relief that a much worse tragedy had been avoided.

“The idea that something like that could happen to Cristina is unthinkable to us,” Claudia, 37, who declined to give her surname, said. “Last night, we were saved from something terrible that we can’t even comprehend.”

Political leaders from across the region, as well as US officials and Argentina’s Pope Francis, all condemned the attack, which occurred against the backdrop of a severe economic slump caused by sky-high inflation and the depreciation of the peso currency.

Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina’s most powerful political operator, is facing potential corruption charges stemming from an alleged scheme to divert public funds while president between 2007 and 2015. In recent weeks, a prosecutor has called for a 12-year prison sentence.

She denies any wrongdoing, and her supporters have protested in the streets and gathered daily outside her home, accusing the judiciary and the conservative opposition of conducting a witch hunt against her.

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