POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Macri rides protest wave 17-10-2020 09:28 Protesting is a right. Trying to figure out the significance of a specific protest is another matter. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Coalitions or collisions? 10-10-2020 09:27 It’s too early to tell if this stress will snowball into a breakdown leading to, say, a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle sponsored by the Kirchnerites, forcing out members of the president's inner circle. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Supreme suspense in court 03-10-2020 09:49 These are busy days for the Supreme Court, which is caught in the middle of the fierce political polarisation that has dominated Argentine politics since the rise of Kirchnerismo in 2003. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Unemployment, the other pandemic 26-09-2020 10:15 Will this relentless agitation unleash the kind of volatility that rattles the very standing of the government, less than a year after winning the elections? by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Dollar blues 19-09-2020 09:51 Argentina’s exasperating affair with the dollar is a recurring issue. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Police mutiny mayhem 12-09-2020 08:54 Anyone familiar with Argentina knows that it is a land of political agitation and volatility. Protests are nothing new, but a full-blown police mutiny over pay and working conditions is relatively rare. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC A new low for the Lower House 05-09-2020 09:15 Monday was a big day for Alberto Fernández’s Peronist government, as it heralded its debt deal with foreign creditors. But the joy lasted only a day and celebrations were all but buried by news in Congress. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Knocking on the Senate's door 29-08-2020 08:46 Military coups are a thing of the past, but presidents struggling to finish their mandates are not. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Protest or PRO test? 22-08-2020 10:10 The uproar surrounding the court system reform is another test of the national government's resolve. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Vaccine ventures 15-08-2020 09:44 It's difficult to gain any kind of momentum during a pandemic. Yet there are some signs the government is regaining the initiative. by Martín Gambarotta
DEBT, DEFAULT. DEAL Goodbye default my old friend 08-08-2020 08:44 The ultimate question is if this agreement will spare Argentina the ordeal of holdout bondholders – Guzmán will have conjured a miracle if there are none to worry about once this deal is done. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Justice (reform) for all 01-08-2020 10:04 The judicial reform bill will truly test the ruling coalition's capacity for the first time since President Fernández took office late last year. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Don't plan on a plan from Fernández 25-07-2020 08:20 By shunning “plans” Fernández is emulating his former boss, late former president Néstor Kirchner, who preferred to deal with issues as they came along without committing to a plan that could be easily derided. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Coalitions under stress 18-07-2020 08:37 Political rivals are accusing each other of being “haters” – but of course, one person's hater is another person's hero. The pressure, however, is not just external. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC The arguing never stops 11-07-2020 08:13 The arguing will never go away. At times it pauses briefly when the public is hit by unsettling news on the coronavirus front, but then, in no time at all, the bickering begins once more. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Metropolitan area blues 04-07-2020 07:29 The display of bipartisan civility, even with disagreements behind the scenes between Buenos Aires City and Province, is now routine. Yet the volatility has not gone away. by Martín Gambarotta
100 DAYS OF QUARANTINE Hibernation time 27-06-2020 08:09 The pandemic is a tremendous challenge for the metropolitan area. Only history will explain the true extent of economic devastation in the region. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Fernández TV 20-06-2020 09:02 Time will tell if the delays with the Vicentin and wealth tax bills are a deliberate strategy by the president to buffer the complaints by the lobbies who have historically clashed with Kirchnerismo. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS IN THE PANDEMIC Nationalise this 13-06-2020 08:08 A raw nerve has been touched that is at the centre of Argentina's perpetual political rift – to the nation’s business community the Peronist administration has crossed a line, trying to grab a private-sector company which has never been under state control. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Lockdown limbo 06-06-2020 09:32 Coronavirus has put everyday life, or the remnants of it, in a loop. Home is where the office lies. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Lockdown: complainers will complain 30-05-2020 09:16 The debt drama will escalate if the talks fail to make progress and some bondholders decide to accelerate the situation, which could see them eventually taking the republic to court in the middle of a pandemic that is crippling for the economy. by Martín Gambarotta
PANDEMIC POLITICS Buenos Aires versus Buenos Aires 23-05-2020 09:21 Horacio Rodríguez Larreta is under pressure because he needs to control the epidemic in the metropolis. Otherwise his reputation could be tarnished – possibly even ruined. by Martín Gambarotta
PANDEMIC PONDERINGS Still quarantined after all these days 16-05-2020 08:00 If the funds are playing the instability game to trigger a political crisis, it’s not happening right here and now. Most of the centre-right opposition leaders holding office have had no choice but to close ranks behind Fernández, who is extremely popular according to polls. by Martín Gambarotta
ARGENTINA'S DEBT WOES Debt-xit time 09-05-2020 10:01 The incessant prodding for a laxer quarantine, trumpeted by part of the mainstream media, is peppered by the pot-banging cacerolazo protests. by Martín Gambarotta
Politics in the pandemic Quarantine quarrels 02-05-2020 09:19 The president has reflexes but he often pauses before making a decision, creating a momentary vacuum that leaves room for misinformation to viralise. by Martín Gambarotta
ARGENTINA’S DEBT WOES Pay no more 25-04-2020 11:57 Argentina is staring default in the face once again. The country has been here before, but never with the world economy cracking up in the middle of a pandemic. by Martín Gambarotta
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Face mask days 18-04-2020 10:47 Argentina’s coronavirus quarantine has been extended until April 26 and the use of facemasks is now compulsory in many parts of the country, including Buenos Aires City. by Martín Gambarotta
A WEEK IN THE PANDEMIC A long-haul plight 11-04-2020 10:28 Is anybody paying attention to Argentina’s debt drama with the entire world economy hurting so badly from a virus? by Martín Gambarotta
LA GRIETA Y LA PANDEMIA Between a Rocca and a hard place 04-04-2020 09:54 The trade unions still consider themselves to be the backbone of Peronism and Fernández is leaning heavily on the labour machine to pull through the crisis. by Martín Gambarotta
LIFE IN THE PANDEMIC Alberto the anchorman 28-03-2020 11:25 With millions staying at home, watching television is now a national sport once again, and the president has turned himself into the anchorman of an anxious nation. by Martín Gambarotta
ON THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Emergency on Planet Earth (that includes Argentina) 21-03-2020 08:34 The ultimate fear in Argentina, apart from the health consequences, is that a lockdown will definitively break the back of an economy that was already bleeding badly and burdened with debt. by Martín Gambarotta
A WEEK IN ARGENTINA Argentina’s viral blues 14-03-2020 08:58 The country’s debt drama will now play out as the coronavirus spreads. Still a virus will not change the fact that Argentina is running out of money. by Martín Gambarotta
March is the most crucial month March is the most crucial month 07-03-2020 13:42 State television coverage showed that there is a nascent presidential inner circle without any apparent ties to the vote-getting Kirchnerite wing of the coalition commanded by Vice-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. by Martín Gambarotta
DEBT RESTRUCTURING Guzmán’s long March 29-02-2020 08:56 Argentina’s president is trying to sort out the country’s debt problems politically. Still, in the end, it will all be about money – the success of the ‘gently does it’ approach hinges on the bondholders accepting a considerable haircut. by Martín Gambarotta
THE IMF AND ARGENTINA With the IMF on our side... 22-02-2020 12:57 The bondholders still don’t know what kind of a haircut they will be asked to suffer but Guzmán is trying to meet a March 31 deadline. A long next month lies ahead. by Martín Gambarotta
DEBT RESTRUCTURING Mission: impossible (to pay debt) 15-02-2020 11:09 The government’s biggest challenge is to buy time without defaulting on its humongous debt. Will the private bondholders get the message? Will the hedge funds oblige and yield? by Martín Gambarotta
NEW ERA IN ARGENTINA All is not quiet on the debt restructuring front 08-02-2020 10:15 Debt is Argentina’s disease. President Alberto Fernández, a Peronist, has said that the nation is now in “intensive care” treatment for its debt addiction. The president has also likened trying to restructure Argentina’s mammoth debt to playing poker with the good fellas. You try pulling a convincing poker face while in intensive care without your cards falling to the ground. by Martín Gambarotta
NEW ERA IN ARGENTINA The long and winding debt 01-02-2020 08:40 Despite the constant chestthumping in the media, the warring factions united to approve Guzmán’s bill. At least the minister now has a card in his pocket that he can show the world whenever he feels like it. by Martín Gambarotta
NEW ERA IN ARGENTINA Boy, you’re going to carry that debt a long time 25-01-2020 10:04 Keeping calm and carrying on when you owe the world billions is all very well, but the markets tend to get hysterical when financial deadlines near. At some point, Martín Guzmán will have to make an offer. by Martín Gambarotta
NEW ERA Hello default my old friend 18-01-2020 10:28 Kicillof has set the stage. But soon Alberto Fernández and Guzmán will be the leading actors. Or is this just Kicillof’s play? by Martín Gambarotta
NEW ERA IN ARGENTINA Kicillof in the land of overkill 11-01-2020 08:41 The next 180 days will not be a honeymoon. But they will not be the instant marital hell for the new government that the opposition is imagining either. by Martín Gambarotta
POLITICS & LABOUR Happy this is not an election year 04-01-2020 07:05 The interaction between President Fernández and Governor Kicillof will be watched closely. The ruling party can’t afford to see its popularity drop in its giant bastion before its federal fiscal policies have a chance to kick in. by Martín Gambarotta
NEW ERA IN ARGENTINA Goodbye gradual-ism 21-12-2019 08:50 Macri's ‘gradual-ism’ didn’t work. Marci gradually lost popularity until he gradually lost the election. by Martín Gambarotta
NEW ERA IN ARGENTINA Guzmán, not Superman 14-12-2019 10:32 Argentina has always had a love-hate relationship with its economy ministers. There is this undying hope that a sensational economist will come one day to save the nation from its financial doom. by Martín Gambarotta
TRANSITION 2019 Hasta la vista, Macri 07-12-2019 10:11 The critics, by voicing their complaints so early against the new government, risk overkill. Alberto Fernández’s honeymoon will be short. But this early searing criticism is like filing for divorce before getting married. by Martín Gambarotta
TRANSITION 2019 To December 10 – and beyond 30-11-2019 11:17 Fernández de Kirchner, before she won the presidency in 2007, cut her teeth for years as a parliamentarian. Now she is back in the house she knows best. by Martín Gambarotta
TRANSITION 2019 In Néstor’s footsteps 23-11-2019 11:01 Argentina has a history of presidents who campaigned doing one thing and then ended up doing another. Some observers say the same thing may happen with Fernández. by Martín Gambarotta
TRANSITION 2019 Bolivia boils over 16-11-2019 12:50 Argentina’s economic situation is extremely difficult. But the national conversation is now about the wider region. Out on the streets, everybody is an expert on Bolivia’s Constitution. by Martín Gambarotta
ELECTION 2019 Transition tensions 09-11-2019 10:36 Is the Cabinet chief already dreaming of a Macri comeback? Judging by the looks on the faces of Rodríguez Larreta and Vidal, the Cabinet chief is delusional. by Martín Gambarotta
ELECTION 2019 The people fire Macri (with a pat on the back) 02-11-2019 11:44 Depending on how you choose to see it, Macri is either the first president to lose a reelection bid or the first non-Peronist president to fulfill his mandate since 1930. by Martín Gambarotta
