Alberto Fernandez assured him: "From December 10, we will change course. " Elected October 27 in the first round of the presidential election, the one who will succeed on Tuesday the Liberal Mauricio Macri promised to "Get Argentina back on its feet". But "It will not be easy"warned the center-left leader on Friday, December 6, when presenting his government.
Among the 21 ministers nominated – who embody different currents of Peronism, the political movement winning the elections – one, in particular, draws all eyes: Martin Guzman. At 37, the youngest member of the cabinet inherits the most complex portfolio, that of the economy.
$ 38 billion to repay
A university educator with no political experience, Mr. Guzman, a graduate of Columbia University, is a Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz. "Argentina, we will take care of you"assured the future minister on Twitter. The task ahead is particularly daunting, as the country is facing one of the worst economic and social crises in its history. The South American state will end the year 2019 in recession, for the second year in a row.
One of Mr. Guzman's priorities will be to renegotiate debt repayments. In particular from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has already paid more than $ 45 billion to the country (40.65 billion euros) – under a loan of 57 billion – in exchange for a plan of austerity adopted by the Macri government.
"I want to stop asking for money and start paying"
At the end of November, Alberto Fernandez announced that he would refuse the payment of the last slices of aid planned. "I already have a big debt problem, and I would ask for 11 billion more? I want to stop asking for money and start payingprotests the elected president, who has pledged to repay the funds received, but refuses to make further cuts.
A declaration "Not very strategic"According to Lucía Pezzarini, an economist at the Elypsis consultancy, who points out that Argentina has to repay nearly $ 38 billion to private creditors and international institutions in 2020. "The IMF funds would have been useful, She believes, Urgent negotiations will have to be conducted to prevent the country from defaulting on payment. "
