In Argentina, an election year has come to an end, and a critical stage begins for Alberto Fernandez's government on the road to the 2023 presidential elections, with an emphasis on reconstructing the social framework over the next two years.
The recent parliamentary elections reconstructed the political map in Congress, where the ruling Frente de Todos lost its Majority in the senate, preventing it from having a quorum to commence the session, and remains the first minority in the Chamber of Deputies.
With an increasingly threatening opposition, which emerged with a nine-point lead over the ruling party, fresh problems are expected for the administration, which has had to deal with two major crises in its first two years.
President Fernández said it hours after the November 14 election, reminding those who forgot him that he received an indebted country, with an agreement still to be signed with the International Monetary Fund to repay the loan taken by then-President Mauricio Macri, and that Covid-19 broke out just 99 days after his term began.
The parity was repeated in the Chamber of Deputies: the ruling party was left with 119 seats out of a total of 257, and in the Senate it dropped from 41 seats to 35 (out of the 72 available), creating a confusing picture when it comes to evaluating and defending future measures.
The purpose of the second stage, as described by Fernández, is to work twice as hard as before to address priorities and lift Argentina. He stated that the future will be centered on economic recovery, inflation reduction, and job creation in the context of a constructive discussion.
Aside from the conflict between the country's two major opposing factions, we cannot ignore in these elections something that has garnered notice in recent months due to its harsh and disturbing linguistic discourse.
We're talking about Javier Milei, an economist and ultra-liberal whose La Libertad Avanza party sneaked into the capital elections as the fourth most voted force.
With him in the Lower House, the self-proclaimed new libertarian, who says he admires former US President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, is certain to deliver angry speeches.
The Left Front had a significant victory, gaining four deputies and becoming the third most popular alternative.
Héctor Bernardo, an Argentine journalist, and political commentator told Orbe exclusively that the right-wing wants to portray the elections as a referendum on whether the government should stay or not. Macri even mentioned a smooth transition till 2023.
But this is a different situation, he said, recalling how the force that now makes up the ruling party did poorly in legislative elections but then won the presidential elections twice.
Bernardo went on to say that, based on the results of this election, the administration will need to revise several of its programs to meet the expectations of the 48 percent of voters who supported it in 2019.
A new epoch is upon us. Among the initial steps to be taken, Fernández has already stated that he will urge representatives of the people will and all political forces to unite on a shared agenda.
The next significant obstacle will come in December when he will submit to Congress a bill on a multi-year economic development agenda for sustainable development.
inputs from Orbe
