MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Macri's party retains Buenos Aires city but his presidential aspiration suffers a significant blow
Argentina's conservative PRO party won the Buenos Aires City mayoral runoff on Sunday, clinging to its stronghold for a third consecutive term ahead of presidential elections in October, but by a smaller-than-expected margin. Horacio Rodríguez Larreta won 51.6% of ballots cast while his opponent Martin Lousteau picked up 48.4%. Public opinion polls anticipated a ten points difference. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesAt the end of the day - more people voted to keep the K's out.
Jul 20th, 2015 - 03:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Realistically, the results of this election are a serious blow to the presidential aspirations of candidate Mauricio Macri.
Jul 20th, 2015 - 04:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Having failed to making inroads in any province and having protegé Rodríguez Larreta obtaining only 51.6 per cent of the popular vote in the city hardly shows enough support for a Macri as president.
It has to be noted that in addition to racking 48.6 per cent of the votes, Lousteau won nine of 15 city communes.
Macri was so impacted by the numbers, he turned around and showed support for several kirchnerist key undertakings he adamantly opposed in the past.
He emphasized support for the Universal Child Allowance (which he qualified of “a right--not a gift,” promised to keep YPF and Aerolíneas Argentinas as state companies, and vowed to keep the pensions under the Anses. This abrupt changes left many PRO militants feeling--understandably--very uneasy.
Nice try, Macri.
Same old same old, nothing will change unless they get rid of the massive corruption. Looks like the next government will be same as before regrettably. Everyone in Argentina has some dirt on the others therefore it will tit for tat. Why Oh why can no-one be honest and truthful in Argie land
Jul 20th, 2015 - 06:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Why Oh why can no-one be honest and truthful in Argie land”
Jul 20th, 2015 - 07:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Someone like this?
http://hd.clarin.com/image/124360826299
No matter who wins the Presidential election the country is doomed. The Ks have destroyed the finances for a generation. There's nothing the next Prez can do but beg ( because they are out of status) the IMF to help them.
Jul 20th, 2015 - 07:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It used to be the USA needed Argentina to be stable to keep SoAm stable so we'd help them out now and again. Now they've made themselves irrelevant, tiny country that doesn't buy anything. Nobody cares if they live or die.
The anticipation is delightful.
It is incredible how fascist/peronists want to bring “water to their mills”.
Jul 20th, 2015 - 07:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The ballotage was between the PRO and ECO (a sort of democratic leftist parties ideologically far, very far from fascist/peronist ideas)
Lousteau (from ECO) was expelled from the CFK government after being threatened to be killed in public during an official CFK speech. He was in the official box, close to the President, when he was threatened, and insulted, in front of the television by another member of the fascist government.
Now the fascists are happy with his performance against the City Hall government.
The truth is that the fascist/peronist party got only 20% of the votes in the City of Buenos Aires. The Chamber of Buenos Aires can ignore them and make deals between PRO and ECO to rule the city.
6 pgerman
Jul 20th, 2015 - 11:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0not challenging you, but interested to see your link for those stats.
Nice to show the Trolls
The perspective from the northern shore of the River Plate is that there isn't a single decent candidate in Argentina.
Jul 21st, 2015 - 12:22 am - Link - Report abuse 0This is what is happening folks. Candidate Mauricio Macri had been implying he would implement a pro-corporate agenda in case he wins the presidential election.
Jul 21st, 2015 - 03:05 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Now, he has discovered the electors do not want a 180-degree turn from what the current government has been doing, and is trying desperately to get more in tune with the population.
Too little, too late.
Peso just under 15/1
Jul 21st, 2015 - 03:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0:)
I've long wondered what the relationship is with the price of the peso to the amount of civil unrest.
I hope to see shortly.
9 Enrique
Jul 21st, 2015 - 07:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“180 degree turn”? - nope, sounds like he is smart. Macri knows he can't get elected if he takes away all the freebies Max is promising.
He has taken away the scary parts like privatisation of Aerolineas, but he has recognised that it should no longer be the pig trough for La Campora to chow down on. I'm sure that resonated with people that don't have those positions and see it as free ride for K faithful, at public expense.
If Macri has to moderate his stand to get in, that's smart.
If he gets elected, he can bring in at least some reforms.
If the K's are booted out, then at least the Status quo has been upset, and all deals will be scrutinised and rewritten.
Any wild fires in your area of Alberta, Enrique?
@9
Jul 21st, 2015 - 07:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Once you wrote you would never discuss issues that were not part of the topic of the artilce under comments. It seems that now you changed your attitude.
Macri is doing the very same thing as Scioli. They talk without saying anything or giving people a clue. They reasoning is quite simple. Populsim caused an emptiness in the political and economi culture of peoploe in Argentina so they are not able to understand the benefits of any change.
Saddly for those fascists who love CFK the next government will have to change things forced by the reallity.
Otherwise, keep on with the current government politics will means more inflation, more poverty, less reserves in the Central Bank, more corruption and crime, less participation in the international commerce.
After all from 1983 onwards the country was ruled by peronist presidents 75% of the time...we see now the benefits of being ruled by corrupt fascits.
Enrique we will see.....it's going to be another moved summer in Argentina...TG you and I will be under the protection of the Crown. Enjoy it.
No matter who is elected the country is broke. They've been papering over problems with bonds they know they can't pay and making pesos without regard to inflation.
Jul 21st, 2015 - 08:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0At some point it becomes Weimar Germany and you pay for bread with wheel barrels full of pesos.
The peso is getting slammed today.
BCRA is out of U$
and its only going to get worse.
MAKRI-MAKRI-MAKRI.
Jul 22nd, 2015 - 12:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0After hearing Makri's words, in relation to the policies implemented by kirchnerism that he wants to keep, in case that he's elected as president, confirm what i have said in many opportunities in this website, i mean the fact that in the actual Argentina, there is not so much social acceptance for the neoliberalism that he represents, that's why reality forces him to say that he's disposed to keep aerolineas argentinas, the pensions, and ypf under statal management, when actualy his politic party voted against those decisions before the congress, beside, he also said that he wants to keep the childhood allowance.
It's too evident that i wasn't wrong when i said in many of my comments that whoever wins in october, nobody will be able to dismantle the legacy of kirchnerism in social terms, just listen to how even a reactionary like Makri had to change his words, in the last year.
On the other hand, it's also necesary to remind all those sons of a bitch, who want to see us eating from the garbage, that since 2007, we have had 7 economic runs, which were the worst of the last 40 years, however, if the economic power couldn't brake C. F.K's government down, as it did with Alfonsin in 1989, is because our economy is much more stronger now than what it was in other periods, then it's expectable that perhaps this year, we can have another inten, that's why, we will keep on reading about hard speculations against our peso, with that so called blue dollar.
14 Axle Aargh
Jul 22nd, 2015 - 04:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“...On the other hand, it's also necesary to remind all those sons of a bitch, who want to see us eating from the garbage, that since 2007, we have had 7 economic runs, which were the worst of the last 40 years... ”
Axle,
What a great track record for the K's and their economic policies !!!
You must be blind if you can't see this is a problem.
So much for the “Won Decade” of Nestor and CFK!
It's not getting any better, either,
- Printing money with no reserves
- Up to 40% Inflation
- at least 28.7% of Argentines living in poverty, according to the Argentine Pope and his social workers
- Rising violent crimes - robberies and home invasions
- wages falling behind inflation
- more unemployment
- Education and Health Care services reduced
- Lost World Cup Football to the EU - Dilma ain't happy!!
#11 T Tempest
Jul 22nd, 2015 - 05:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“If Macri has to moderate his stand to get in, that's smart.”
Too smart. In fact, Macri is showing desperation in the face of the latest--adverse--opinion polls. He is also taking the electors for a bunch of fools.
Nobody will believe this opportunistic and fake turnaround means anything from a candidate that has opposed every one of Kirchners' initiatives when they were voted--just a few weeks before the PASO (preliminary) presidential election.
My advice? Don't take Argentines for idiots. They very well know the Kirchners' decade was not perfect. They also know Néstor and Cristina have done more for the advancement of the country than any other previous government in Argentina history.
As for wild fires, southern Alberta has been spared so far, thank you very much.
Nobody is surprise to see the value of the U$D skyrocketing up to 15 argentine pesos. The explanation is 100% rational: the monetary base is U$D 54.000 millions (at the U$D official rate), the “nominal” reserv of the Central Bank is U$D 32.000 millions and the actual reserv is less than U$D 20.000 milliuons.
Jul 22nd, 2015 - 05:36 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Taking this into account...Can we call blue dollar “hard speculations against our peso”? Only fascists/peronists could believe so....
Enrique,
Jul 22nd, 2015 - 07:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The reality is, Maximo and the rest of the Peronists ( Fascists) are playing on the well-founded fears of a public that is worried for their future, and seeing their purchasing power plummet. Combine that with Max's giveaways, and Macri needs to be more reassuring.
He has to calm their fears and be less draconian with reforms.
Later things may change as the situation warrants, just as Max's 'pie in the sky' promises will evaporate as the economy worsens.
Macri can either get elected and work from inside, or stubbornly refuse to budge and be shut out.
Are Argies stupid?
Perhaps not, but they WANT to believe politicians like Maximo, that tell them all is well, on the present course....
If they elect Macri - at least the status quo has been changed, and new deals have to be written, everything is under scrutiny - a good way to shake out the parasites and freeloaders.
Enrique, Axel...and other fascists alwasy do the very same “noise”. They keep on writing things ignoring those who thinks differently. From time to time they react by insulting those who they believe are traitors or oligachies.
Jul 22nd, 2015 - 07:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Macri's recent flip flopping is a huge mistake that might cost him the election. People here don't forgive leaders who show weakness during the election campaign.
Jul 22nd, 2015 - 08:03 pm - Link - Report abuse 0TROY TOMPEST (15).
Jul 22nd, 2015 - 08:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I have always reffered to the sructural problems that our economy has, your problem is that you buy the reactionary view, that hegemonical press publishes about Argentina's situation. I refered in many opportunities to the causes of our inflation, poverty, unemployment, etc, if you don't agree on my lectures, sorry, but that's only your problem.
PGERMAN (19):
Don't be so hypocrite, if you read many of the comments published here by people who don't like kirchnerism, you'll see also how all those who are pro kirchnerist are usually underestimated and insulted . If you don't agree in absolut on what i think, then, instead of calling me fascist, just tell me what's your lecture about what i said in my comment (14), in relation to the change in Macri's opinion.
On the other hand, there is a very big difference between being detractor of any government, and taking the side of those who want to ruin the country. I don't have any problem in calling sepoys to all those who take the side of the vultures, in the conflict that we have with the holdouts. Everybody knows that the country made two debt restructurings, where the 92% of the defaulted debt could be restructurated, then it's obvious that the country must respect them, beside, i have no problem either in calling reactionaries to all those who underestimate the people who don'tthink like them, i will always respect all those who have deep ideological differences with me, but the limit is the lack of respect, in fact, in a few opportunities i could have interesting conversations about politic issues,with people who had big differences with my lectures, however, there was respect in those opinions. Don't pretend me to send flowers to all those reactionaries who underestimate or insult me for being pro kirchnerist.
21 Axle
Jul 22nd, 2015 - 09:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“...On the other hand, there is a very big difference between being detractor of any government, and taking the side of those who want to ruin the country.”
Precisely, Axle!
I hardly think that Macri, a “detractor of the government” and a patriotic Argentine, is someone who wants to “ruin the country”.
Pgerman, though I don't agree with many of the things he says, is a patriotic Argentine, a “detractor of the government”, and someone who wants the best for his country.
He has a much more recent perspective of modern Argentina, having left there only recently, compared to Enrique and others who were likely exiled by the Junta in the 70's - never to return.
While pgerman has lived abroad in Csnada and elsewhere, in relatively well run countries with minimal government corruption, and a free Press, you have little perspective on how your democracy has been subverted.
The Operacion Condor Exiles, and Enrique who have not lived in Arg for decades, are naturally aligned against the 'Right', have swallowed the Populist propaganda of the Peronost K's and romanticise about a Socialist Utopian Argentina that never was.
Keep dreaming...
@21
Jul 22nd, 2015 - 10:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Everybody knows that the country made two debt restructurings, where the 92% of the defaulted debt could be restructurated”. The country itself during democratic governments and in freedom issued bonds waiving the local sovereignty for the NY State sovereignty. So, the country and the government must comply the written clauses and conditions for the good of the country. So, the 8% who rejected the restructuration must be paid.
“you buy”, “reactionary view”, “hegemonical press”, “hypocrite”, “those who want to ruin the country”. “sepoys”, “to all those who take the side of the vultures”, “reactionaries”...instead of thypical fascist words....Why don't you discuss about the figures of the Central Bank instead of accusing those who protect their saving buying U$D?
The monetary base is U$D 54.000 millions at the U$D official rate (pasive of the Central Bank), the “nominal” reserves of the Central Bank are U$D 32.000 millions and the actual reserves are less than U$D 20.000 millions. The person, or government, responsible of this is the one who causes of inflation, poverty, unemployment, etc,
It is quite evident that Macri is changing his message as Scioli is doing and the rest of the peronist party is also doing. Including CFK who changed her speech latelly.
PGERMAN.
Jul 23rd, 2015 - 09:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I also think that all bondholders must be paid, but it would be too stupid to accept an usurious sentence. All countries have immunity of execution, that's why although a nation accepts the jurisdiction of another state, if a rulling violates it's law, then it's not forced to accept an abusive judgment. Griesa's decision violates article 2 and 3 of both debt restructurings, that's why the government says it's illegal to comply with it.
Beside, some people haven't seen yet how dangerous is to comply with Griesa's decision, due to if the government decided to pay Singer, according to Griesa's rulling, then it was hightly probable that all the rest of the 8% of bondholders would ask Griesa a similar sentence to Singer's, which was what finally happened. On the other hand, you are not taking into account that the acceptation of that sort of abusive rullings, destroys the bases of capitalism, then how can you think that the government should have complied with Griesa's decision?.
Respecting the strengh of our economy, i have said so much about it in my comment 14, but in relation to inflation, i can only tell you that the main cause of it, isn't a bigger monetary emission, actualy that is the myth of decadent orthodox economists. In our case, what prejudices us so much, is to have an economy composed mostly by oligopolic groups in such important sectors like food and metal mechanic. In countries like U. S.A., Chile, Brasil, and some european nations, monetary emissions have grown so much, however they don't have not even a 15% of inflation, then it's evident that monetary emission isn't the main cause of inflation.
TROY TOMPEST.
I can only tell you that i know much more than you about our problems, because i have always lived here, that's why i dare to tell you that instead of buying the reactionary view of hegemonical press, why don't you visit us, and see how free and democraticly we live, it's clear that we have different concepts about what democracy is.
24 Axle AARGH
Jul 24th, 2015 - 12:52 am - Link - Report abuse 0“... decadent orthodox economists”
WTF ??
Did Kicilaff coin that moniker, or do you live in North Korea?
I would think orthodox economists would know more about Macro Economics than a starry-eyed, cult-follower, like you.
LOL ... Axle.... :-)
@24 Axle,
“... it's clear that we have different concepts about what democracy is”
and thank God for that!!
Pgerman:
Jul 24th, 2015 - 05:39 am - Link - Report abuse 0It is clear that you have no idea of what fascism is--otherwise you would not be showing you ignorance by calling fascists CFK and whoever writes positive reviews of the Kirchners' governments in this board.
Again, fascism is a scourge, to be denounced and fought everywhere it rears its ugly head--you may find many sources and become informed about fascism.
I can assure you Néstor and Cristina do not fit that picture by any means.
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