Braving the sweltering heat in Buenos Aires, tens of thousands of people began pouring in on Tuesday, December 10, to the Place de Mai. Equipped with stocks of water bottles – or, failing that, ready to throw themselves into the public fountains – Alberto Fernandez's supporters began a long wait in front of Casa Rosada, the presidential palace, to welcome his new occupant.
"It's a historic moment for our country," jubilee Martina Aredes, student in history. Originally from the province of Tucuman, in north-western Argentina, the young woman traveled twenty hours to celebrate the inauguration of Alberto Fernandez and his vice-president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (at the head of the country between 2007 and 2015), in the Argentine capital. "We feel that Alberto is listening to us, that he takes youth seriously," says Rocio Gonzalez, 22, who fights in the same left-wing movement as Martina.
The new ministers are mainly from the public service or the academic world, while those of Mr. Macri came largely from the private sector
In fact, the government appointed by Alberto Fernandez has a profile younger than that of his predecessor, Liberal Mauricio Macri – who was seeking a second term but was defeated in the first round of presidential elections by Fernandez on 27 October. Another notable difference with the Macri government is that the twenty-one new ministers, who were sworn in on Tuesday, are mainly from the public service or academia. "While Macri's ministers, far fewer in number, came from the private sector, remarks the political scientist Facundo Cruz, it's a paradigm shift. " Composed of personalities "Which return an image of moderation", according to Mr. Cruz, this government also reflects the different tendencies of Peronism present in the Frente de Todos ("the front for all"), the very large center-left Peronist coalition that allowed Mr. Fernandez to win.
Obtain consensus
"The members of this government come from very different political currents, but they know that the situation is so complex that they must remain united"says Paula Clerici, a professor of political science at Torcuato di Tella University and the University of Buenos Aires. Aware of the difficulty of maintaining a united coalition so broad and the need to reach consensus with opposition far from being decimated, Alberto Fernandez, during his inaugural speech to the Congress, called for his wishes "The union of all Argentina to build a new social contract citizen".
"Today, it is more necessary than ever to straighten Argentina," said the new president, drawing up a long list of the ills afflicting the country, which is going through a serious economic and social crisis. Explosion of poverty, rising unemployment, inflation at its highest level (54% expected in 2019) since 1991 … Alberto Fernandez, who spoke about "Terrifying numbers," proposed a "Integral plan to fight against hunger". Malnutrition affects children in the first place: more than one in two lives below the poverty line.
Without explicitly mentioning his predecessor, Fernandez said that the previous administration had led Argentina "On the verge of default". The new president assured that he would repay the debt incurred by the country, but would seek to obtain additional time from creditors of Argentina. Starting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has granted more than $ 45 billion in loans to Argentina (40.6 billion euros). "It's impossible to pay the debt without regaining growth," warned Mr. Fernandez.
These complex negotiations will have to be led by Martin Guzman, a young economics minister trained in the United States and Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz. "His task is titanic, says researcher Paula Clericibut his appointment is strategic because Mr. Guzman has an international background that should be useful for him to negotiate with the IMF. "
Questions about the role of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
After more than an hour of speeches at the Congress, and at the end of a busy day in official ceremonies, Alberto Fernandez finally returned to Casa Rosada, in front of which he found a black spot of people. The gates surrounding the presidential palace, installed under the Mauricio Macri government, had been removed a few days earlier. "It's a symbol. For Peronism, the place of May is the place of the people », analysis Mme Clerici.
"This place, which they had meshed, had created division"said Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who spoke first Tuesday night on a huge stage set up in front of Casa Rosada for the occasion. At 66, the former president still enjoys great popularity among part of the population, despite being indicted in several corruption cases. On Tuesday, many Argentines wore t-shirts "The story will acquit me", a recent statement by Mme Kirchner in court on December 2nd.
Many analysts question the influence of the former president on the decisions of Alberto Fernandez. "Institutionally, the role of vice-president is very limited. He or she is content, above all, to exercise the presidency of the Senate, reminds the political scientist Facundo Cruzbut this is also the first time a former president has taken on this role, so there is a lot of uncertainty. "
"Mr. Fernandez proved during the campaign that he is not a puppet", says Paula Clerici. Tuesday evening, speaking in turn, Alberto Fernandez was more united than ever with his Vice President: "By madness, we went away, but then we ended up," he said, in reference to the tensions between him and the former president – disagreements that led him to resign from his position as chief of staff in 2008. The new president promised to work to to build "A better society". Before concluding : " At work ! "
