Argentina Politics Updates - 13 April 2023
Argentine Economy Minister's visit to Washington, US Deputy Secretary of State's visit to Buenos Aires
Massa travels to Washington: how US political analysts and Wall Street investors view Argentina (Infobae)
Massa is scheduled to have meetings at the IMF Spring Meetings, World Bank, White House, and Department of State, along with other multilateral organizations and G20 representatives
Massa also met with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman while on a layover to the US
“The Argentine economy is in highly fragile conditions. If electoral motives impede the efforts of the ministry to reduce the deficit, the country could suffer another crisis.”
Analysts agree that the country’s economic failures are more due to the politics of economic policy rather than the economy itself
The country’s record-breaking drought is creating yet another hurdle for Argentina to accumulate foreign reserves and will likely increase economic instability
Inflation is joined by lack of dollars and a large deficit as Argentina’s main problems in 2023
Lacking agreement, Argentina's ruling Frente de Todos coalition heads towards decisive month (Buenos Aires Times)
The ruling Frente de Todos coalition is expected to announce its candidate ahead of the country’s PASO elections sometime between mid-May and early June
Alberto Fernández - who himself will not announce his intentions until May - has proposed an internal primary within the Peronist coalition to decide who will be the party’s presidential candidate
Crisis and candidacy: Sergio Massa’s recalculation (Buenos Aires Times)
Massa has still not announced if he will run for president as the Frente de Todos coalition candidate; the lack of economic improvement could hinder his calculations and his chances
Massa and Interior Minister Eduardo ‘Wado’ de Pedro are the two leading figures in current Frente de Todos calculations
Massa’s wife will be running for the office of the mayor of Tigre
Javier Milei says there is an agreement with Mauricio Macro and Patricia Bullrich (La Nación)
The candidate announced he already has his VP running-mate, and will announce her name on June 24
Milei said his agreement with Macri and Bullrich does not place him among their Juntos por el Cambio coalition
Milei proposed a cabinet comprised of only 8 ministries, as opposed to the current 21: Economy, Infrastructure, Foreign Relations, Human Capital, Security, Justice, Defense, and Interior
Argentine democracy caught between positive disruption and a precipice (Infobae)
Politicians are increasingly removed and distant from their constituents’ realities; The author notes how politicians campaign on issues related to citizen security and public health and, once elected, focus only on their own corporate interests
The op-ed also strongly notes the dangers of a “messianic leader” - meaning libertarian outsider Javier Milei - writing that the anti-system rhetoric is a “trap” and that political disruption must occur from within the democratic system, not outside of it
US envoy arrives to “sort out” relations with Argentina: details of the visit (El Cronista)
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman arrived to Argentina to participate the country’s 40th anniversary of its return to democracy and the 200 years of the bilateral relationship with the US
She will meet with the country’s powerful trade union, Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero, energy secretary Flavia Royón, and mining secretary Fernanda Ávila
The Argentine calendar is a strategic tool (IDEA)
Argentina’s provincial election dates are decided by governors, not by the federal government; tying election dates to the federal government depends on the province’s connections and perceptions of the president and the federal government
In 2023, very few provinces have unified their provincial elections to the presidential elections, signaling high discontent with the government and current leadership
Argentina 2024: there is light at the end of the pipeline (El Cronista)
The completion of the first sector of the Nestor Kirchner pipeline is on track to be completed by the end of June, meaning its benefits are likely to be first felt by the next administration
The pipeline will help reduce Argentine imports of liquified natural gas (LNG) this year, while in 2024 Argentina’s own exports are expected to rise
The pipeline will be completed just before the country’s primary election, which could give the ruling kirchnerismo a much-needed boost just before the PASO and general elections
Proposal for Argentina to swap its debt for climate action and biodiversity protection (Página 12)
At the opening of the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, the NGO Avaaz proposed a climate-focused plan to restructure Argentina’s debt
The plan proposes countries of the “Global North” and international credit organizations - who have been most at fault for environmental damage in the past decades - use concrete measures already used in the international financial system to help countries of the Global South, with Argentina as a test-run, to swap parts of its debt for specific environmentally friendly policies and actions
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