Twitter / Alberto Fernandez
On the night of November 14, Argentine President Alberto Fernández euphorically celebrated an electoral defeat. Earlier that day, in the legislative elections, the ruling Peronist coalition –Frente de Todos– obtained only 33.5 percent of the national vote against 42 percent of the opposition coalition Juntos por el Cambio. Why was the president celebrating, then, apart from lifting the spirits of Peronist supporters?Read more +
Casa Rosada/ Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Mauricio Macri’s failure confirms that there seems to be no politically sustainable way to open up and reform Argentina’s economy. The long-term benefits of liberalizing, improving competitiveness and reducing fiscal spending might be clear in theory, but the immediate social costs of these policies are simply too high for Argentines to bear.Read more +
Agência Brasil Fotografias/ Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Mauricio Macri has good reason to celebrate: Argentines just gave a strong endorsement to his reform agenda. To capitalize on these results, Macri will need to pick his battles carefully, resolve inconsistencies in his economic program, and show concrete results to maintain the trust of investors and citizens alike.Read more +
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Not as anticipated as his visit to Cuba, but at least equally important for the future of US-Latin America relations, was President Obama’s trip to Argentina. Read more +
Mauricio Macri / Flickr
How well the new administration of Mauricio Macri handles key challenges in 2016 may well define the long-term outcome of his presidency.Read more +
