Peronism returns to Argentina. Alberto Fernández will assume the Presidency on December 10 in what also means the return to the Casa Rosada, this time as vice president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who faces thirteen cases of corruption and who tomorrow travels to Cuba to accompany Your daughter, also processed. The corruption of the "K era" has not been sufficient reason for the Argentines who, desperate for the course of the country's economy, have turned their backs on President Mauricio Macri.
In Sunday's general elections, Alberto Fernández won 48.10% of the votes and was elected president in the first round, compared to 40.38% obtained by Macri. The results of the elections are the result of a process of unity of Peronism, which was very divided after the defeat it suffered in 2015, and confirm the political polarization in Argentina.
In spite of the defeat that Macri has suffered in these elections, the fact of having managed to overcome the percentage of votes of the primary elections widely and that Fernández's victory has not been overwhelming will allow him to maintain a firm opposition.
With a relaxed breakfast at the Casa Rosada, Macri met for an hour with the elected president. At the meeting, Alberto Fernández proposed to Macri a list of collaborators who want them to work during the transition period, which will run until December 10, when the new authorities take office.
The names suggested by the president-elect are part of his work team: they are his campaign manager, Santiago Cafiero; former Secretary of Finance Guillermo Nielsen; and economists Matías Kulfas and Cecilia Todesca. Of that group, Cafiero will be the coordinator. It is, above all, to convey tranquility to the markets and to stage "a smooth transition" to avoid alarms.
For now, there is a tense calm in the country, always unpredictable and convulsive. In fact, yesterday the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange rose 6.15%. A rise experienced after the Central Bank imposed a dollar in the early morning, which means that Argentines can only buy $ 200 per person per month and one hundred for cash operations. The dollar was sold with a slight downward trend in the formal market, however the "blue" dollar – the one that changes in the street in cash – rose to 80 pesos compared to the official's 65.
When Macri won in 2015, he eliminated the exchange control set by his predecessor, Cristina Kirchner, but the adverse outcome for the ruling party's ruling in August precipitated the flight of currencies and the imposition of new controls. The Central Bank needed to set a very low limit to curb the outflow of reserves after losing about $ 23 billion since August.
Alberto Fernández said that the top priority will no longer be the frontal attack on inflation, but rather to promote a package of measures that will allow the domestic market to be reactivated and resolve the great conflict of the financing closure that left Argentina in check after the primary elections , and with it, the restructuring of short, medium and long term debt.
During the campaign, Fernández was responsible for partially anticipating what his strategies will be to meet those objectives. Also, almost forced, he left to mark his differences with the economic route that followed during the Government of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
«I am pragmatic, there is no rule to solve the problems of our economies. There are times to be liberal and others to be more Keynesian, ”Fernández repeated every time he was raised fears about this coexistence. Yesterday, the president-elect summoned "all Argentines" to join his project to face the coming times, "which are not easy", in reference to the economic crisis.
Fernández will try to get dollars through exports, mainly from the agricultural sector and Vaca Muerta, the large oil field in Neuquén, in the south. It is expected to freeze the electricity and gas rates, which with Macri increased by 1,000%, and protect the national industry with import taxes.
Doors inside, to fulfill his promise to "launch" the country, the president-elect appeals to seal a social pact with businessmen, trade unionists, religious and social referents, which translates into a recomposition of purchasing power and sustains prices.
For Alberto Fernández, internal consumption is the first engine that should be started and clarified that it will, although it demands measures contrary to the commitments made with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stabilize public accounts and thus complicate the negotiation that should begin with the multilateral credit agency. For now, the agency seems willing to talk with the new government, but is reluctant to "release" another new advance of one billion. Of the 56,000 borrowed, the Government has already accessed 44,000. The task of rebuilding the F-F formula will not be easy.
On the external level, both Alberto and Cristina Fernández recognized Evo Morales as re-elected president in Bolivia and demanded the freedom of former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. «He is an unjustly imprisoned man and for whom we must continue asking for his freedom. Lula free! Let it be heard throughout Latin America and in the world as well, ”said the elected president.
. (tagsToTranslate) cristina kirchner