MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Macri and Fernandez agree to start an orderly transition ensuring “dollars and social peace”

The official photo shows the two leaders smiling and good humored

Argentine president Mauricio Macri and president-elect Alberto Fernandez met on Monday midmorning at Government House, Casa Rosada, to discuss terms for an orderly transition until next 10 December when the new government takes office, plus exchange names of the two teams that will be involved in the discussions.

The meeting was originally set for 08:00, but on common agreement it was delayed for another hour and a half, and lasted a full sixty minutes in good spirit, and described by both leaders as positive. The official picture shows them both smiling and good humored. Most of the meeting was behind doors and only towards the end did some advisors join the two leaders.

Following the interview Macri held a cabinet meeting and described how the conversation had evolved, while Fernandez left for his headquarters. A cabinet member said the meeting had been “very good, and could be signaling a new time for Argentine political culture, meaning Argentina could be seen as a reliable country, which must be valued”

Macri on Sunday following the election results had announced he had spoken to Alberto Fernandez to congratulate him on the “great election he had performed” and revealed he had invited his rival for breakfast at Government House to begin talking about an orderly transition and relief to Argentines.

In similar spirit Fernandez at his campaign headquarters on Sunday told his followers he would be meeting Macri on Monday “to talk about the time left”

Apparently there were no Macri officials to receive Fernandez, just protocol staff when he arrived at Government House, with the exception of the official photographer, Victor Bugge whom the elected president embraced since he knew him from the time he was cabinet chief of Nestor and Cristina Kirchner.

Close advisors of Fernandez praised the meeting, what they described as an “institutional gesture”, particularly since in 2015, when Cristina Fernandez stepped down there was no transition and the outgoing president did not even attend the official ceremony on 10 December.

Apparently Fernandez told Macri, “brother let's talk about the future, not the past”, but there was some criticism about the loss of international reserves occurred between the PASO primaries and the election, some US$ 22 billion.

The “clamp” restrictions on dollar withdrawals should have been imposed much earlier. Anyhow with the new limitations it is believe the hemorrhage will be cut significantly.

Fernandez told the president he will hand him a list with the names of his transition team while Macri announced that the leaders of his team would be Finance minister Hernan Lacunza and Interior minister Rogelio Frigerio.

Lacunza said the president had described “the start of the transition dialogue as very good...the government will make available everything possible so the incoming administration can deploy its policies”. He added that “we are going clear the way for the new administration to continue negotiations with the IMF”. Another issue in which the two leaders agreed was to ensure “social peace” during the next six weeks leading to December 10.

Likewise Fernandez' attitude was described as very disposed and respectful to the extent that at one point he told Macri, “remember that who is in charge and ruling until 10 December is you”.

Fernandez abandoned the Casa Rosada without making any comments on the meeting, just a few jokes to the waiting media and from the parking lot made the V victory signal with his fingers.