Argentina Update – Suspended Elections & more –18th May 2023

th of May: 2023

We have lots of political updates this week. Remember that in our last episode, we discussed the Supreme Court’s decision to suspend elections in three provinces? Well, a lot has happened since, and the matter surely escalated.

First, President Fernández took to Argentina’s public television channel for a harsh critique of the Supreme Court’s decision, saying that he will send the records to be added to the grounds for impeachment. As you may recall, Fernández sent to congress a bid to impeach all four Supreme Court Justices last January, alleging that they had overstepped their competence in a ruling restoring tax funding to Buenos Aires City.

Late on Thursday the 11th, Tucumán Governor Juan Manzur announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy from this year’s provincial elections. A local opposition mayor called Germán Enrique Alfaro had filed a legal objection to Manzur’s run for vice governor, and he said his stepping down could allow the province to finally go to the polls.

Indeed, on Tuesday the 16th, the Supreme Court lifted the measure suspending elections in the Tucumán province. The opposition politician had not withdrawn his complaint, but the Court cited Manzur’s withdrawal as a candidate as reason enough.

Now that the measure has been lifted, Tucumán can reschedule the elections, which could happen on the 25th of June. Manzur will be replaced on the ballot by Miguel Acevedo, the province’s current interior minister.

Meanwhile, the Salta, La Pampa and Tierra del Fuego provinces did go to the ballots last Sunday, and all three of them re-elected their governors. They all beat the candidates from the opposition coalition, Juntos por el Cambio, and President Fernández welcomed the victories.

The opposition leaders Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and Patricia Bullrich also greeted the local candidates who won mayorships and council seats. But Larreta took the opportunity to criticize the voting system used in six provinces, which allows parties to present multiple ballots for the same position and then transfer all votes from the party’s unsuccessful candidates to its candidate with the most votes once they have been counted.

Given the dynamics of provincial elections, the results cannot be taken as a predictor of this year’s national elections. Speaking of which, we have updates. The libertarian leader of the La Libertad Avanza political party, Javier Milei, confirmed on Monday the 15th that national deputy Victoria Villaruel will be his running mate in the PASO primaries.

During an interview at La Nación+ television station, Milei praised Villarruel’s expertise in security, domestic defense and human rights. Ironically, though, she is notorious for her defense of human rights abusers during Argentina’s last dictatorship.

On a similar note, a bunch of business and political leaders met at the Alvear Icon Hotel in Puerto Madero last week for the annual AmCham Summit. All eyes were on the potential future occupants of the Casa Rosada, Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, Patricia Bullrich and Sergio Massa. The latter has not declared an intention to run for the presidency, but he is regarded by most as the only candidate who stands a chance within the ruling party. When asked about the possibility, he said that such a decision would be made with his family, including his teenage children.

The main obstacle Massa faces is his own inability to control the economy. In April, the monthly inflation rate surpassed 8%, and the year-on-year rate is now close to 109%. Prices went up 32% in just the first four months, led by clothing and footwear, and followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Speaking of food and price hikes, the government opened food imports through the Central Market at zero tariffs to hit local producers who over-benefited from protectionism. Since Monday the 15th, fresh food (fruits, vegetables and meats) and non-perishable dry staple products can be imported and offered directly to the public and to local retail stores.

The Economy Ministry said in a statement that they made this decision in view of the detection of distortions in food prices as recorded by the Secretariat of Commerce, due to the abuse of companies with a dominant market position. Wholesalers and large supermarkets are resistant to this change, but smaller stores (such as those owned by Chinese entrepreneurs) could be supplied with a new basket of products.

This is part of a package of emergency measures that the Economy Ministry is working on. The Central Bank will boost rates by 600 basis points to 97% while boosting intervention in the foreign exchange market in a bid to limit a sell-off in the peso, which weakened 13 percent against the dollar last month.

The government also intends to obtain more international support for its dwindling foreign reserves by speeding up deals with the IMF, and China and Brazil through the BRICS group.

But despite all economic difficulties, one province had a wonderful season. Tierra del Fuego claimed a record cruise season with more than 500 calls and 220,000 people. Expectations for the next season are even better, with at almost 600 calls anticipated.

In case you’re not familiar with it, Tierra del Fuego is the southernmost province of Argentina, which makes it a popular starting point for cruises to Antarctica. Tourists from all over the world travel to Ushuaia, the province’s capital, where tour operators offer cruises that take travelers across the Drake Passage to explore the icy continent.

Of the 500 calls this season, some fifty calls involved bi-oceanic cruises and 450 were Antarctica cruises.

On that note about tourists, very sad news shook the press this week. A man with a machete in southern Mexico attacked a young Argentine tourist, who died because of the wounds on Monday the 15th. The twenty-three-year-old victim was with a couple of Argentine friends at a restaurant in Oaxaca when he was attacked. The possible motive for the attack was not immediately known, and authorities are still investigating.

In more positive news, a team of researchers from the National University of La Plata announced a new discovery regarding ibuprofen production. As published in the journal Catalyst, the scientists reported the results of joint work on the use of a protein from the yeast Candida antarctica — a microscopic fungus formed by a single cell — to make the manufacture of ibuprofen more efficient.

his novel Trust. Published in: 2018

From the page to the screen, the Cannes Film Festival has begun and Argentina has managed to gain a rather small but meaningful presence. In addition to Damián Szifrón being invited to the jury of the official competition, as we discussed last week, Director Lisandro Alonso will present his latest film Eureka in the non-competitive Cannes Première. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Eureka is a four-part story that explores Native American culture in the US, Mexico, and the Amazon jungle.

Also, the short film None of That, which is an Argentine-Spain co-production, will compete for the Palme d’Or. Starred by Erica Rivas, this is the story of a mother who accidentally drives her car into a mansion’s flower patch while driving with her daughter, who will need to provide a solution before her mother’s visceral fascination with the house and its owner drives them both to a point of no return.

Last but not least, the Cannes Classics section will screen René Mugica’s adaptation of one of Jorge Luis Borges’ most famous short stories, Man on the Pink Corner.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week! We are a few people trying to share knowledge, with no ads, and no screens. Support us so we can keep doing what we love. Check the link in our show notes to support us.

¡Nos vemos la próxima semana!