Turbulent times in Argentina's government
With the first round of Argentina's primary elections over, the results put pressure on incumbent president Alberto Fernández, who will have to face the five weeks until the second round with a change of strategy if he is to maintain control of the legislative chamber.
Primary elections allow citizens to choose candidates to represent them in Congress, where the country's legislative power is concentrated. During the first round, the president's coalition, Frente de Todos (Front for All), has lost its presence in the chamber to the opposition, which has won a majority in 18 of Argentina's 24 districts.
The Argentine government has been quick to take measures in the wake of the poor election results. In the wake of this defeat, Alberto Fernández has promoted a reshuffle in his government cabinet, seeking to renew important positions in the administration ahead of the elections on 14 November.
Six new ministers have been sworn in in the last few hours as part of President Alberto Fernández's renewal campaign. The influence of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner as an ally of the executive has been decisive in the changes that the administration has undergone, forcing the president to give in on all demands.
Fernández sacrificed her spokesman, Juan Pablo Biondi, her economy minister, Martín Guzmán, and her chief of ministers, Santiago Cafiero, who was replaced by Governor Juan Manzur, but kept the interior minister, Eduardo de Pedro, whose resignation last Wednesday triggered an internal crisis in the Peronist coalition.
The devastating results obtained in the primaries have triggered an unprecedented crisis within the government. The differences between Fernández and Kirchner, vice-president and promoter of Alberto Fernández's candidacy for the presidency in 2019, have materialised after the ruling coalition Frente de Todos obtained only 31% of the votes at the national level.
The current government is constrained by the crisis and weakened politically and internally. A defeat similar to the 12 September primaries would result in the loss of control of the Senate, losing the upper house and a simple majority in the lower house.
Political and electoral conflicts should not be superimposed on the serious situation in Argentina, where the pandemic and the economic crisis are causing poverty figures of over 40 %, with unemployment and inflation rising to 50% a year, according to El País. Moreover, in the midst of the turmoil, the government is facing the refinancing of the 44-billion-dollar debt that the IMF granted Mauricio Macri in 2018.
Latin America Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.