AS I SEE IT Take me to your leader 30-01-2021 09:26 Argentines tend to be more prone than others to put their faith in individuals rather than in ideologies or “doctrines,” as Radicals like to call them. by James Neilson
Politics, power & Peronism Plan Máximo: First the province, then the presidency 16-01-2021 08:03 Máximo Kirchner, 43-year-old son of two former presidents, aims to head the Buenos Aires provincial branch of the PJ movement, before using it as a launching-pad for the 2023 elections. The ultimate goal? The Casa Rosada. by Carlos Claá & Rodis Recalt, Noticias
THE WEEK What we learned this week: December 26 to January 2 02-01-2021 08:48 Our pick of the stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.
EDITORIAL Good riddance to 2020… ...and hello to a happier 2021? 02-01-2021 08:34 At a stretch 2020 could almost be summarised by one single C-word – next year is a little more difficult, but the midterm elections will undoubtedly be a defining moment.
ABORTION REFORM Feminist ‘green tide’ delivers legal abortion in Argentina 02-01-2021 08:15 Argentina’s “marea verde” has helped deliver sweeping abortion reform in one of Latin America’s most Catholic countries.
ALBERTO´S FIRST YEAR Covid, crisis, coalition tensions: Alberto Fernández's first year in office 12-12-2020 09:45 One year on from his inauguration, the president is pinning his hopes on a mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign to kickstart Argentina’s economic recovery. Infighting in his Frente de Todos coalition is increasingly visible, but nobody wants to create a new rift which would end up favouring the opposition. by Rosario Ayerdi
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC There's only one Maradona - Argentina after the funeral 05-12-2020 10:22 For most of the year, Fernández and Rodríguez Larreta navigated the pandemic together, avoiding confrontation. But that initial congeniality is giving way to confrontation as next year's midterms draw ever closer. by Martín Gambarotta
BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS Peru taps third president in less than a week to fill power vacuum 17-11-2020 08:07 Lawmakers on Monday voted in Francisco Sagasti, an elder-statesman legislator with extensive consulting experience at home and abroad to lead a new government by electing him head of congress and new president.
PERUVIAN POLITICAL CRISIS Peru's Congress to retry president for impeachment 03-11-2020 10:45 Peru's Congress on Monday voted to try again to impeach President Martín Vizcarra for alleged "moral incapacity" after he survived a first attempt weeks ago.
Political turmoil in Peru Peru police search homes of officials in impeachment case 13-09-2020 09:26 Police in Peru raid homes of key government officials as part of an investigation into allegations President Martín Vizcarra obstructed a graft probe.
Political turmoil in Peru Peru in renewed political turmoil as Vizcarra faces impeachment 13-09-2020 09:16 Some of Peru's lawmakers are calling for the dismissal of President Martín Vizcarra based on audios in which he is heard coaching two officials close to him for a congressional investigation into corruption.
GUEST VOICE Behind the conflict with the police 12-09-2020 09:43 The reasons for the protest? We can divide them into two main categories: institutional and political. by Andrei Serbin Pont
BOLIVIAN POLITICAL CRISIS Bolivia judge confirms Evo Morales cannot run for Senate seat 08-09-2020 09:13 Judge rules that former president is not eligible to run for a Senate seat in October's elections, given his current residence in Argentina.
CRISIS IN VENEZUELA Venezuela's Maduro pardons dozens of political opponents 31-08-2020 23:11 Venezuelan government pardons more than 100 people, including dozens of political opponents who are in prison, have taken refuge in foreign embassies in Caracas or fled the country.
AS I SEE IT Dreaming of a military alternative 29-08-2020 10:04 Military rule may no longer be an alternative, but chaos most certainly is. by James Neilson
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
LA GRIETA Argentina’s burnout syndrome 29-08-2020 08:28 The lack of social contact, confinement, and a current state of alert given protracted panic is causing anxiety and cognitively wearing down our population, making the future recovery even more uncertain. by Agustino Fontevecchia
SINO-ARGENTINE RELATIONS Argentina’s ties with China deepen under Fernández 22-08-2020 08:27 Peronist leader leads charge to develop ties with Asian giant, which is now Argentina’s largest trading partner. Trip to Shanghai pencilled in for early November, with business, the pandemic and pork topping the agenda. by Juan Luis González
GUEST COLUMN Quo vadis, Argentina? 15-08-2020 10:37 A guide to undering Argentina’s incomparable decline and what can we learn from the shortcomings of the Macri administration’s reforms. by Nicolas Rodriguez-Brizuela
DEBT DEAL Inside the frenetic days that changed Argentina’s debt talks 08-08-2020 09:15 After many months of tension, talks that dragged on for eight months, half-a-dozen deadline extensions, multiple proposals, and tens of hours of online negotiations, a deal has been reached.
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
LA GRIETA ‘The Peronists aren’t fighting, they’re copulating’ 18-07-2020 10:22 Is it possible to build a unity government with this level of internal aggression, and with Cristina as the major power broker within your leading coalition? by Agustino Fontevecchia
AS I SEE IT Strolling towards the exit 18-07-2020 09:55 Extinction is staring many communities in the face, yet few find the thought that all they presumably value could be about to die at all disturbing. by James Neilson
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
POLARISATION & POLITICS So much for unity: La grieta returns with a vengeance 11-07-2020 07:42 Tensions between government and opposition soar in week Argentina celebrated Independence Day.
EDITORIAL Is isolation the best expression of independence? 04-07-2020 08:32 The pandemic is a curious ally of ultra-nationalism, feeding the notion that Covid-19 will destroy globalisation and the private sector in a world dictating a self-sufficiency of which very few countries can even dream.
ANALYSIS Sino-American dispute a looming threat for Argentina and Brazil 04-07-2020 07:57 The relationship between Buenos Aires and Brasilia is in intensive care and the lack of coordination between the two governments exposes the region to an external vulnerability – becoming a place where the US and China settle their differences. by Leandro Dario
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
Feature interview Sérgio Moro: ‘I always acted with a clear conscience and impartially’ 20-06-2020 09:15 Former Brazilian federal judge Sérgio Moro – who resigned as Justice and Public Security minister in late April, criticising President Jair Bolsonaro for “political interference” as he quit his post – on Lava Jato, corruption and censorship. by Jorge Fontevecchia
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
MINISTRY POSITIONS Non-ministerial positions – yet still key additions 06-06-2020 10:19 The non-ministerial officials named by President Alberto Fernández exactly half a year ago will focus on the trident working directly under him – presidential Chief-of-Staff Julio Vitobello, Legal and Technical Secretary Vilma Ibarra and Strategic Affairs Secretary Gustavo Beliz – plus the new Treasury Attorney Carlos Zannini. by Michael Soltys
MINISTRY POSITIONS Interior now rhymes with inferior 30-05-2020 10:49 Congress was Eduardo Enrique “Wado” de Pedro main training-ground, where he developed an image as the least abrasive of the La Cámpora leaders. He has mellowed considerably since his extreme youth when in 1997. by Michael Soltys
AS I SEE IT Under cover of darkness 30-05-2020 10:43 Alberto has shown no signs of wanting to be his own man, whoever he may be. Far from rebelling against Cristina’s tutelage, he seems afraid to do anything that might displease her. by James Neilson
SPIES AND LIES Once again, time is going backwards 30-05-2020 09:09 Alberto’s Frente de Todos coalition is walking in his predecessor’s footsteps, perpetuating the never-ending cycle of institutional reform of the Judiciary and the intelligence agencies. by Agustino Fontevecchia
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
PATRICIA BULLRICH INTERVIEW Patricia Bullrich: ‘We can’t remain silent over abuses of power’ 16-05-2020 07:21 Ex-security minister and PRO party leader, Patricia Bullrich, discusses the role of the opposition, her relationship with Macri and Peña and why she thinks Alberto Fernández is mishandling the coronavirus pandemic. by Julian D'Imperio
Long read 'No remedy, no rights' – China blocks foreigners from leaving 05-05-2020 13:20 As citizens are trying to desperately regain their home, they didn't realise they couldn't leave China until they were blocked at the airport. As a attempt to exert influence, not just over Chinese citizens in China, but also against permanent residents and citizens of other countries.
BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO Brazil plunges further into crisis as Moro quits government 25-04-2020 10:47 Lava Jato folk hero Sergio Moro quits as justice minister, accusing President Jair Bolsonaro of “political interference”; Coronavirus death toll rises above 3,000.
Coronavirus pandemic Brazil's Bolsonaro makes life-or-death coronavirus gamble 30-03-2020 15:58 Even as coronavirus cases mount in Latin America’s largest nation, Bolsonaro is calling the pandemic a momentary, minor problem and saying strong measures to contain it are unnecessary.
As I see it Political unprisoners 23-02-2020 16:53 The notion that some people are entitled to remain above the law is shared, or regarded as unimportant, by such a large proportion of the electorate that disabusing it seems well-nigh impossible. by James Neilson
'POLITICAL PRISONERS' Fernández denounces a Judiciary defined by ‘political winds’ 18-02-2020 16:19 Via Twitter, president stated that "may there never again be a justice that pursues according to the political winds" and added that "in recent years lawfare has been established in Argentina.”
FORMER BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT A day in BA with Evo Morales 11-01-2020 09:49 Journalist Leandro Dario spends a day with the former Bolivian president, who is now living in exile in Buenos Aires, plotting his party’s return to power. by Leandro Dario
EVO IN ARGENTINA Bolivian interim government asks UN to help it silence Evo Morales 21-12-2019 13:32 Bolivia’s interim government on Thursday appealed to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in an attempt to stop former president Evo Morales from influencing next year’s general election.
Corruption & The Courts De Vido and Baratta released from prison to house arrest 15-12-2019 11:53 Two ex-Kirchnerite officials were released from detention late Friday night, after a ruling ordered they be committed to house arrest and wear ankle-monitoring bracelets.
EX-BOLIVIA PRESIDENT Evo Morales takes refuge in Argentina 14-12-2019 10:53 Former Bolivia president granted him refugee status by new Fernández government after landing at Ezeiza.
CORRUPTION & THE COURTS From prison, jailed Kirchnerites call for ‘Christmas without political prisoners’ 26-11-2019 19:00 De Vido, Boudou, D'Elia, Milagro Sala among group of Kirchnerites facing legal woes. Group calls on followers to march to Comodoro Py courthouse on Thursday, November 28.
Protests in Chile Chile's Piñera acknowledges excess police force used in protests 19-11-2019 09:58 President admits excessive force used in clamping down on demonstrators, and promises “no impunity” for anyone who commits acts of violence.
Chile Protests Argentina's Embassy in Santiago evacuated after 'attack' 13-11-2019 15:32 Ambassador José Octavio Bordón was one of the diplomats who fled the building while protesters tried to enter.