Argentina's Peronists return as Alberto Fernandez takes office
Argentina’s new President, Alberto Fernández, took office today, a sharp gear shift from conservative Mauricio Macri as the Latin American country firefights rampant inflation, credit default fears and rising poverty.
The 60-year-old center-left Peronist politician was sworn in by lawmakers in the Congress building at noon (1500 GMT) before swearing in his newly appointed ministers at the Casa Rosada presidential palace.
Fernández’s arrival marks a return of Argentina’s powerful left-leaning Peronist political flank, including his divisive Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a rockstar populist who clashed with investors and landowners during her twin terms between 2007-2015.
The new administration is expected to usher in growth-focused policies after unpopular austerity under Macri, which could strain already depleted state coffers.
Supporters hope Fernández can tackle inflation running above 50%, poverty at 40% amid the worst recession in two decades, and tricky restructuring talks over around $100 billion in sovereign debt with lenders - as well as a record, $45 billion bailout granted to Macri last year by the International Monetary Fund.
"The Argentina we seek is one that grows with inclusion," Fernández said during his inaugural address. "One that promotes production rather than speculation."
At: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-argentina-politics-inauguration-idUSKBN1YE128
Argentina's new president, Alberto Fernández, signs the congressional visitors' register upon arriving today for his inaugural as Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner looks on.
The pragmatic Fernández, 60, inherits a debt crisis and a near-depression from his neo-con predecessor, Mauricio Macri.
Economic stimulus and debt renegotiation will top next year's agenda, along with the need to navigate an openly hostile Bolsonaro regime in neighboring Brazil (Argentina's closest partner) and an uncertain relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump's support for Macri, a longtime friend, included forcing the IMF to lend Argentina a record $45 billion - a debt most analysts consider unpayable without a rescheduling.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Alberto Fernández' symbolic gesture in using his own car to drive to Congress today had to please a whole lot of supporters. It reminds a person of Pepe Mujica, who was just as beloved when he finished his Presidency as when he started.
Love the photo used in the article above. Two people of character taking the place of something far, far less. They didn't sneak into power, and they won't slime out, leaving a devastated country behind them.
Hooray for the Fernández'. Very best wishes.
Thank you, sandensea! 
Xinhua, December 11, 2019
Alberto Fernandez (L) receives the presidential cane from outgoing Argentine President Mauricio
Macri during a ceremony in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on Dec. 10, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]
Alberto Fernandez, of the Everyone's Front coalition, was sworn in as President of Argentina on Tuesday at a ceremony in the National Congress.
In his first speech as president, Fernandez urged unity to help pull the country out of an intractable economic crisis and at the same time attend to the needs of the less privileged.
"I have come to call on you, without distinction, to put Argentina on its feet, so it can begin to walk, step by step, with dignity, on the path to development with social justice," said Fernandez.
Fernandez, 60, takes over from his predecessor Mauricio Macri.
As the third largest economy in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico, the country is currently influenced by a monetary crisis, which has led to a record loan amounting to nearly 60 billion dollars from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), its largest ever granted.
More:
http://www.china.org.cn/world/2019-12/11/content_75500949.htm
