MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lousteau to leave Washington before Trump's inauguration

Argentine ambassador to Washington Martín Lousteau needs to leave his job before Donald Trump's inauguration

The move is seen as a token of exchange following the Argentine government's open decision to support Hillary Clinton. Martín Losteau, who was also economy minister under Cristina Fernandez, ran for Mayor of Buenos Aires last year and lost to the Macrist candidate Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, wants to race again in 2019.

 Martín Lousteau is spending his last days as ambassdor in Washington. He is due back in Argentina before Donald Trump takes office on January 20. First, the former Economy Minister has long insisted on competing for mayor of Buenos Aires in 2019. To achieve this, he knows that he must first run in the elections next year. And yet another reason came up in the form of outspoken support for the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Whatever the real reasons for his replacement, Lousteau made an effort not to look like the scapegoat. “There are people in the national government who have a prior relationship with the Democratic Party,” he explained. “In a short time did Argentina reverse the relationship with the United States, but with an outgoing administration, then what I said was that it was natural that continuity would make things easier,” he went on. “This is a description of something, not a [declaration] of support,” he concluded.

Lousteau had virtually no contact with Trump's transition committee last August. “I did not make any rally in Hillary's favor; neither in Argentina, nor in the cables that I sent,” said the ambassador in a radio interview, during which he insisted his actions were consistent with the ideas of President Mauricio Macri and Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra.

Foreign Ministry sources agree the profile of Lousteau's successor needs to be that of a career diplomat or would at least resemble the Menem years. “The key is someone who has ties to the Republicans and not make the same mistake as with Switzerland,” the sources said. Among those likely to be appointed are Emilio Cárdenas, Fernando Petrella and Martín Redrado, but nothing is conclusive yet.