Argentines have voted for change. Mauricio Macri was elected on November 22 as the next president in a tight race. Macri, who was the mayor of the city of Buenos Aires ran under the banner of Cambiemos (Let’s Change), a coalition of mostly centrist non-Peronist parties and took 51.4 percent of the vote. He narrowly defeated Daniel Scioli, the governor of Buenos Aires province, but his victory has been called a stunner by Argentine standards because the defeated rival Scioli is the heir of the outgoing Peronist president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner who entered the poll with all the power and influence that proximity to an incumbent president brings.
One of Macri’s urgent tasks will be to overhaul the sluggish economy and boost growth. He will be expected to reverse some of the populist policies of Fernández and her husband Néstor Kirchner, who preceded her as president and died in 2010, but will be expected to do this without withdrawing support for the weakest sections of the society.
Macri will also be watched on his foreign policy. The Kirchners aligned Argentina with the leftist flank in Latin America and also cultivated strong relations with China, Russia and Iran. US will be looking at Macri’s election with hope, expecting a realignment in the priorities of the new government which would include improved relations with Washington. Macri has already announced plans to improve diplomatic ties with the United States, which became strained in recent years over Argentina’s international debts and Washington’s role in the region.
The new president eloquently spelt out his new priorities with his decision on Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro. Macri threatened to seek Venezuela’s ouster from the regional trade group Mercosur if Caracas keeps opposition leaders in prison. Macri will have to decide how far he can deviate from the policies followed by the Kirchners because alienating powerful leaders in Latin America will not be easy.
Macri is the son of an industrial tycoon and he will have to contend with claims that his aristocratic upbringing makes him unaware of the challenges and problems faced by the ordinary people. Macri has sought to soften this image by explaining that he plans to maintain popular anti-poverty programmes introduced by the Kirchners since 2003.
Having won by a narrow margin, Macri will have to move cautiously. He must build bridges with his rivals for smooth governance and also in an effort to achieve a more conciliatory leadership approach. He has an opportunity to widen his support base and also improve lives by strengthening the economy.
Argentines have voted for change. Mauricio Macri was elected on November 22 as the next president in a tight race. Macri, who was the mayor of the city of Buenos Aires ran under the banner of Cambiemos (Let’s Change), a coalition of mostly centrist non-Peronist parties and took 51.4 percent of the vote. He narrowly defeated Daniel Scioli, the governor of Buenos Aires province, but his victory has been called a stunner by Argentine standards because the defeated rival Scioli is the heir of the outgoing Peronist president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner who entered the poll with all the power and influence that proximity to an incumbent president brings.
One of Macri’s urgent tasks will be to overhaul the sluggish economy and boost growth. He will be expected to reverse some of the populist policies of Fernández and her husband Néstor Kirchner, who preceded her as president and died in 2010, but will be expected to do this without withdrawing support for the weakest sections of the society.
Macri will also be watched on his foreign policy. The Kirchners aligned Argentina with the leftist flank in Latin America and also cultivated strong relations with China, Russia and Iran. US will be looking at Macri’s election with hope, expecting a realignment in the priorities of the new government which would include improved relations with Washington. Macri has already announced plans to improve diplomatic ties with the United States, which became strained in recent years over Argentina’s international debts and Washington’s role in the region.
The new president eloquently spelt out his new priorities with his decision on Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro. Macri threatened to seek Venezuela’s ouster from the regional trade group Mercosur if Caracas keeps opposition leaders in prison. Macri will have to decide how far he can deviate from the policies followed by the Kirchners because alienating powerful leaders in Latin America will not be easy.
Macri is the son of an industrial tycoon and he will have to contend with claims that his aristocratic upbringing makes him unaware of the challenges and problems faced by the ordinary people. Macri has sought to soften this image by explaining that he plans to maintain popular anti-poverty programmes introduced by the Kirchners since 2003.
Having won by a narrow margin, Macri will have to move cautiously. He must build bridges with his rivals for smooth governance and also in an effort to achieve a more conciliatory leadership approach. He has an opportunity to widen his support base and also improve lives by strengthening the economy.
