October 27, 2019

Argentina to welcome back Peronists after four years of failed economic reform
When Andrea Espinosa began offering food from her home in the Argentinian district of Neuquen eight years ago, it was just to hungry school kids. Now even pensioners shuffle, embarrassed, into her tiny breeze-block shack. Theoretically, Neuquen, which lies on a windswept Patagonian plateau, is one of Argentina’s boom towns, home to the third largest shale and gas reserves in the world.  On a recent campaign stop, incumbent president Mauricio Macri called the region “the beating heart of Argentina”. But the scale of economic dysfunction Mr Macri has overseen in his four years in office has left a third of the country below the poverty line - and even the residents of Neuquen are struggling. Now Neuquen, like the rest of Argentina, looks set to vote overwhelmingly to return the Peronists, four years after Cristina Kirchner’s government was kicked out over endemic corruption.  “This government is to blame,” says Mrs Espinosa, 25. “Inflation is out of control, and salaries can’t keep pace. People are hungry. Neuquen is the richest province in the country, and yet we’re living like this? It’s a disgrace.” Mr Macri started well - attempting to peel back 20 years of Peronist economic illusion by resuming the publication of financial data, stripping away subsidies, and resolving long-standing feuds with international financial organisations. But that soon stalled, due to both bad luck – the worst drought in 40 years, the US raising interest rates – and arrogance. Mr Macri seemed to believe his pro-business rhetoric was enough. By 2018 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had approved the largest bailout package in its 73-year history – a $57 billion loan designed to shore up the country’s faltering economy and end its pattern of cyclical crises. The cash injection has not worked and Argentina’s annual inflation rate is the highest in the region at 54 per cent. The Peronists have a new face in Alberto Fernandez, a 60-year-old former Cabinet secretary, but Mrs Kirchner still looms large as his running mate. Alberto Fernandez, who polls say is on track to be elected as president on Sunday, with his running mate, Cristina Kirchner In May she arranged a meeting with Mr Fernandez to inform him, he said, that she was choosing him as the candidate. She would only run as his vice president “because the country needs someone who does not divide, but rather unites,” he recounted. He insists he is more than just her puppet, but few believe him. The announcement of her position on the ticket destabilised financial markets, as investors realised with horror that South America’s second-largest economy could soon be ruled once more by a populist who delighted in disrupting the international financial order. The charismatic 66-year-old, who has been frequently compared to Eva Peron, has 11 corruption, bribery and money laundering cases pending against her dating from her time as president between 2007-15.  She denies the allegations, describing them as politically-motivated, but the testimony of her former chauffeur has been particularly damning.  In court testimony, he described driving bags of cash bribes to her from construction companies – 40 bags of money were even stashed away inside the mausoleum of Mrs Kirchner’s late husband and predecessor, Nestor, who died in 2010.  Her former planning minister is now serving a six-year sentence after he was caught throwing $9 million in cash over the wall of a convent outside Buenos Aires, in an attempt to hide it from investigators.And at the start of the year the newspaper Clarin calculated that 28 of her former officials or business associates were behind bars, mainly on corruption charges. Cristina Kirchner, president from 2007-15, is loved by millions of Argentines - and despised by an equally large number. But for Mrs Kirchner’s supporters, who benefited from her generous social welfare programmes, her return cannot come soon enough. “An old lady approached me the other day and asked when she was coming back,” said Nanci Parrilli, a deputy in Neuquen’s provincial government. “She told me that her last pair of glasses was given to her by Cristina. And she can no longer see. “When I visited schools, they used to ask me if we could update the computers to the latest models. Now they ask for food.” An aerial view of a town on the outskirts of the Vaca Muerta shale gas and Oil reserve, in Neuquen province Francisco Sanchez, the national parliament candidate for Mr Macri's Republican Proposal party in Neuquen, shakes his head sadly when asked why Mr Macri is staring defeat in the face. “We’ve been good at management, but bad at marketing,” he said. “We’ve just been doing what a government should. In a province with 7,000km of roads, we built 1,000km. We’ve built three new hospitals. The government has been transparent, and is clamping down on corruption. Twelve years of Kirchner lies are over. We were handed a terrible inheritance. But four years isn’t enough to turn it around.” Since a shock defeat in primaries in August, which sparked the currency plunge, Mr Macri has chopped taxes and told the energy firms that dollar contracts would be paid at a set exchange rate, far weaker than the market rate. He also imposed currency controls to keep the country’s diminishing supply of dollars from fleeing abroad. The moves have further spooked investors abroad, and appear unlikely to have achieved their purpose in shifting the dial in his favour.  A couple unfolds a map of Vaca Muerta oil area during the Argentina Oil and Gas Expo 2019 in Buenos Aires on September 25 “The benefits haven’t reached the people,” said Asuncion Miras Trabalon, Mr Sanchez's rival. “The oil sector is controlled by an elite. Very few jobs have been created. Furthermore, Macri has focused on bringing in international companies, rather than employing our small businesses – which are highly trained and up to the task. “The only thing Macri has done for us is saddle us with debt, which will take us 100 years to pay off.” Mr Macri’s supporters are clinging to the hope that he can force the Fernandez-Kirchner team into a second-round run off, on November 24. “It’s like a game of football – you play right to the final whistle,” said Mario Esteban Lara, a councillor for Mr Macri’s party. And then hope for help from the Hand of God? He laughed. “Not all of us are cheats.”
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Politic
Mary Trump 'energized' as uncle 'Donald's campaign spirals into chaos'
Mar 29, 2024
Donald Trump's campaign is in chaos, and his niece says she's energized.Mary Trump, the niece of the former president and a psychologist by trade, has previously been critical of her uncle.On Thursday, she said her uncle's failures are adding up.ALSO READ: A neuroscientist reveals how Trump and Biden's cognitive impairments are different"As the RNC’s fundraising falters and Donald’s campaign spirals into chaos, I am energized!" she said in a Substack post.She then continued:"When Donald dominates the news cycle, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. Every bad headline has a negative impact. But then I remember something crucial: There’s usually more to the story than meets the eye. I’m determined to cut through the media noise and share with you all the good that happened this week. These are the headlines we need to remain energized and hopeful that the media largely ignored."Mary Trump goes on to highlight President Joe Biden's recent fundraising hauls."President Biden’s $155 million+ war chest has just received another turbo boost, bringing the total of cash on hand to at least $180 million. (By comparison, between his campaign and the RNC, Donald barely has over $50 million — and continues to drain the accounts to cover his absolutely staggering legal expenses)," she wrote. "This is a development that could significantly increase Biden’s ability to influence the narrative in crucial swing states."This, she says, also tells us a lot about voter excitement for Biden."While critics have expressed doubts about the degree to which the Democratic base is fired up as compared to 2020, today’s $25 million fundraiser, raised with donations ranging from $250 to $500,000, should put any doubts to rest — yes, we are absolutely behind President Biden and Vice President Harris and we’re in this fight until the end," she wrote.Read the full post here.
READ MORE
Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Ruby Franke’s Husband REVEALS Alleged Rules He Had to Follow at Home | E! News
March 28, 2024
_mU-3lE2QwI
#KenanThompson speaks out following the #QuietonSet documentary. (🎥: Tamron Hall Show) #shorts
March 28, 2024
8AGP-Gfw_Ek
King Charles Shares "Great Sadness" at Missing Royal Appearance | E! News
March 28, 2024
lyizFqf1kQY
Martha Reeves Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 27, 2024
QzyezumEPtQ
Eminem, 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg Present Dr. Dre with a Star on the Walk of Fame
March 19, 2024
4bNLs1hxVp8
Opening Remarks for the Variety Summit October 20th, 2023 Jay Penske
March 18, 2024
c6Z707iLq8E
Montell Jordan Dishes On Young MC Wedding, 'This Is How Date Night' Plans | TMZ
March 28, 2024
G3SMExj-qio
Davina Potratz Says TV Not Helping 'Selling Sunset' Relationship Woes | TMZ
March 28, 2024
D4piy4GNm4k
Logan Paul Rips Graham Bensinger Over Documentary, You Promised Apple TV+ | TMZ Live
March 28, 2024
NiSDpZhZklQ
Prince William pinned royal medal to Spice Girl Mel B’s boobs #shorts
March 28, 2024
O1cQ0UW9pco
Jennifer Garner shares ‘hard’ part of raising her and Ben Affleck’s kids
March 28, 2024
3Q7mZaVUdgc
50 Cent's ex Daphne Joy named as an alleged sex worker in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawsuit #shorts
March 28, 2024
yhLFI8DG9rM
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
PSG W - Hacken W
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Barcelona W - SK Brann W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Chelsea W - Ajax W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Lyon W - SL Benfica W
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.