MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay joins the women’s presidential club: Mujica flies to China and Astori to Colombia

Lucia Topolansky, not only Senator and First Lady, but also interim president

For several days beginning Wednesday Uruguay, as its neighbours, Brazil and Argentina will be ruled by a woman. Lucia Topolansky, Fist Lady but also Senator and third in the succession line will become interim president since her husband is off on an official trip to China and Europe, and Vice-president Danilo Astori will be attending the Alliance of the Pacific summit in Colombia.

It’s not the first time: something similar happened in November 2010 when Mujica was in Spain and Astori on an official visit to Korea. But this time probably is more significant. Mujica is after much needed investments for Uruguay’s infrastructure and will be away almost two weeks, while Astori in Colombia will be sending a strong message to the senior partners of Mercosur, Argentina and Brazil.

In effect Uruguay has become growingly disenchanted with the workings and results of Mercosur, particularly the protectionist tendency and autarkic attitude of its powerful neighbours, while countries in the Pacific offer a more open policy towards trade, promoting business, the private sector and attracting productive investment.

Mercosur has yet to conclude a free trade and cooperation agreement with the European Union which remains stalled since the late nineties. Mercosur with Venezuela as full member and Paraguay suspended has become more a political group while the option of free-traders Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico, the fastest growing economies of Latinamerica, is a more dynamic and pragmatic option.

Hopefully Mujica will have some success in his dealings with Beijing and a commitment that China will effectively invest in ports and railways. However, results are not expected to be immediate but Mujica would like to leave office having at least put the founding stone of the infrastructure projects for which he needs foreign investment.

After all, Mujica is the oldest serving president of Uruguay, 78, and his health is not the best for a world tour of 48.000 kilometres in two weeks. To reach China he leaves on Wednesday, spends time in Paris and then flies to Beijing. Mujica has suffered thrombosis incidents in his legs in the past and is not enthusiastic about long trips. His doctors have recommended he makes several stops in his trip with time to walk.

On medical advice Mujica will take anti-coagulants and will be made to sleep with stretched legs during the long itineraries.

“We’re leaving tomorrow (Wednesday) for Paris, arriving at midday Thursday, so the president can rest. We then fly on Friday so we arrive in Beijing on Saturday”, said Dr Raquel Pannone, Mujica’s personal doctor.

Nevertheless he is a very active man, and with strong resistance “so if we manage to make him fly comfortably, there should be no complications”, said Dr Pannone.