JxC governors call to keep coalition united without backing either presidential candidate
The communiqué was released Wednesday evening following a meeting in Buenos Aires City. “We think that today, our homeland needs us to be capable of forgiving each other, because what’s at stake is very important. “I watched [Bullrich’s] press conference and was embarrassed for her,” said Morales in a press conference. “We won’t participate in a government permeated by Kirchnerism [but] obviously Milei is worse. “It’s a leap into the abyss and a path to Argentina’s darkest night,” he stated.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 26, 2023 15:18 UTC
‘The Croatian’ arrested in international drug trafficking investigation
He was arrested on charges of money laundering — allegedly related to drug trafficking and the Mexican Sinaloa cartel — following a five-year investigation by Judge Federico Villena. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) participated in that investigation. “By operating for a gang dedicated to drug trafficking, these operations violate the federal law”The Croatian was arrested on Tuesday morning at his home in the gated community of “El Golf,” in Nordelta. Pulenta was arrested in the gated community “El Encuentro,” in the Buenos Aires district of Benavídez, while Estrada Palomeque was arrested at his home in the Retiro neighborhood. There, they found money and weapons — among them, five pistols and two Smith & Wesson .38 Special caliber revolvers.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 26, 2023 00:46 UTC
Government looks to renew Fair Prices agreement for another 90 days
The government will seek to renew the Fair Prices program for another 90 days. Within this scenario, it will look to renew the Fair Prices program in a context where it is also seeking to realign expectations that were distorted after the primaries. The government will seek to extend the current agreement that expires on October 31 for the next 90 days with a 5% monthly increase. The agreement expires at the end of the month, and although companies have already made raises, they will seek new ones that are unlikely to be approved, at least in the ammount they intend. But they consider the Fair Prices program a tool to guide expectations in a high inflation regime driven by high inertia.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 25, 2023 16:09 UTC
5G bid: three companies awarded licenses for US$875 million
Three telecommunications companies have been awarded 20-year licenses to develop 5G in Argentina, making bids totalling over US$875 million on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Spanish Telefónica/Movistar was awarded a 50 MHz band for US$175 million. The companies are expected to build 5G stations within seven years in towns with up to 30,000 inhabitants. “The United States was involved from day zero,” Zuazo told the Herald. Zuazo suggested that it would have been interesting to have state-owned telecommunications company ARSAT keep the unawarded 50 MHZ.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 25, 2023 05:20 UTC
Lower House to debate cutting tax expenditure for 2024 budget
The Lower House’s budget commission will start debating an addendum to the 2024 budget bill on Wednesday which aims to eliminate a series of tax expenditures to reach a 1% surplus. Overall, tax expenditure is equivalent to 4.72% of Argentina’s gross domestic product (GDP). In a message from the Economy Ministry, the government highlighted certain costs and “tax benefits with a negative impact on the budget” amounting to 2.24% GDP, suggesting that the Lower House debate reducing those specific topics when addressing the budget. On the cutting board are income tax breaks for judges, exporters with value-added tax (VAT) benefits, and an industrial development scheme in Tierra del Fuego province. These tax benefits, differential systems, and budget subsidies “particularly favor large companies and corporations” and have “a significant negative impact on the sustainability of public accounts by creating permanent tax collection reductions,” the document says.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 25, 2023 03:12 UTC
Massa promises budget surplus, CCL for exporters and ‘signals of austerity’
Economy Minister and presidential frontrunner Sergio Massa promised to set Argentina on the path to balanced books by incentivizing exports, bringing forward the payment of some bonds, promoting a budget surplus, and shifting towards austerity. The fate of the IMF deal will be one of the major questions hanging over whoever moves into the Casa Rosada presidential palace on December 10. Argentina’s export income will depend largely on the fate of its grains harvests. Massa will compete for the presidency in a run-off election against far-right libertarian economist Javier Milei on November 19. You may also be interested in: Argentina and China agree on US$6.5 bn currency swap extension
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 24, 2023 15:47 UTC
Milei changes tactics after defeat, seeks new alliances ahead of the run-off
After disparaging pretty much every sector of Argentine politics during his campaign, far-right presidential candidate Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza, LLA) is changing tactics ahead of the November 19 run-off in order to garner support. “I wouldn’t discard having Patricia Bullrich as [a possible] security minister,” Milei said in an interview with TV news station La Nación+. “We really valued her work as minister,” he added, referring to her tenure as security minister during former president and JxC leader Mauricio Macri’s government (2015-2019). He added that he is also in talks with Macri, as well as former vice presidential candidate Florencio Randazzo, who ran alongside Juan Schiaretti. Economy Minister Massa finished unexpectedly in first place on Sunday with 36.7% of the vote while Milei came in second with almost 30%.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 24, 2023 15:46 UTC
Argentina 2023 elections: What Congress will look like from December 10
While the presidential race took the spotlight in Argentina’s election on Sunday, the makeup of the national Congress was also decided in the polls. UxP had nine seats up for renovation, and managed to keep all its members while gaining one more. The virtual standoff in the Upper House between UxP and Juntos por el Cambio (JxC) will be over. While the libertarian candidate is set to go to a run-off against Massa, his party made big gains in Congress, taking eight seats in the Upper House having previously held none. The Lower HouseUnión por la Patria: 104/257Juntos por el Cambio: 93/257La Libertad Avanza: 38/257Things look different in the Lower House, where UxP lost some ground despite managing to keep most of its seats.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 23, 2023 13:08 UTC
Takeaways from Argentina’s 2023 presidential election
The results: Massa took 36%, Milei 30%, and Juntos por el Cambio (JxC) candidate Patricia Bullrich 23.8%. Juntos por el Cambio (JxC) candidate Patricia Bullrich will have to watch from home. The biggest losers were Juntos por el Cambio, who lost 487,000 votes, while Córdoba Province Governor Juan Schiaretti (Hacemos por Nuestro País) nearly doubled his primary performance, raking in an additional 867,000 votes. Third: Bullrich’s inability to unite Juntos por el Cambio and her perceived policy illiteracy. UxP shocked analysts by adding more than 3.5 million voters.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 23, 2023 11:40 UTC
Argentina 2023 elections: Dramatic shift as Massa takes lead, goes to run-off with Milei
Unión por la Patria (UxP) candidate and Economy Minister Sergio Massa is headed to a run-off against Javier Milei, early results from Sunday’s presidential elections show. The ruling coalition candidate received the most votes but failed to clear the threshold for an outright win. At 10:13 p.m., Massa was leading with 36.3% of the vote, Javier Milei of La Libertad Avanza (LLA) had 30.2% and Patricia Bullrich of the opposition bloc Juntos por el Cambio (JxC) stood third with 23.8%. The results mark a dramatic shift from August’s primaries when the ruling coalition came third. You may also be interested in: Javier Milei: the fringe economist pundit turned presidential frontrunner
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 23, 2023 06:26 UTC
Argentina 2023 elections: polling stations close, wait for results begins
Argentines finished voting in the country’s general elections at 6 p.m. on Sunday. In the 2015 and 2019 general elections, over 80% of the electoral roll turned up to vote. Speaking as polls closed, Julio Vitobello, general secretary for Argentina’s presidency, said that the first results would be disseminated once votes had been counted in a representative proportion of Argentina’s electoral districts. “Obviously, the vote data will take longer to upload in those districts, which make up 50% of the electoral roll,” Vitobello said. He thanked electoral workers, Argentina’s postal system, party volunteers and the armed forces for their work to organize the elections.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 22, 2023 23:47 UTC
Argentina 2023 elections: 74% of the electoral roll had voted by 6 p.m.
Updated 20:46The first results are expected at around 10 p.m. — check the Buenos Aires Herald’s homepage for updates! According to the National Electoral Chamber (CNE), 74% of eligible voters in Argentina’s general elections had voted by the time polls closed at 6 p.m, although some voters were still queuing. In both the 2015 and the 2019 general elections, 81% of the electoral roll had cast their ballots by the same time. All presidential candidates voted. In addition to the national vote, citizens in Catamarca, Entre Ríos, and Buenos Aires province are also voting for governor.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 22, 2023 20:11 UTC
BA City to use paper ballots after voting machine fiasco in primaries
Buenos Aires City residents will use paper ballots to vote for all positions in Sunday’s general elections, ditching the voting machines used to choose local authorities in the August 13 primaries. Once at the voting station, voters will have one set of ballots for national authorities and another for local positions. Foreigners with permanent residence in Buenos Aires City are only allowed to vote for local authorities. You may also be interested in: Voting as a foreigner in Argentina: what you need to knowBA City authorities abandoned electronic voting machines in favor of paper ballots for all positions. BA city residents reported waiting for as much as two hours in some voting centers.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 22, 2023 02:59 UTC
Far-right leaders arrive in Argentina to join Milei as ‘international observers’
A slew of international far-right leaders will be present in Argentina for Sunday’s general elections to act as “international observers” invited by libertarian presidential hopeful Javier Milei. Among the most prominent are Brazilian politician Eduardo Bolsonaro and members of the right-wing Spanish party Vox, who have all voiced their support for the La Libertad Avanza (LLA) candidate. Jair Bolsonaro’s son will arrive on Sunday morning and will accompany LLA provincial deputy Nahuel Sotelo when he goes to vote. The Spanish delegation is headed by far-right European Parliament member Hermann Tertsch, far-right think tank Fundación Disenso director Jorge Martín Frías, and Madrid Forum director Eduardo Cader. Santiago Muzio, an Argentine lawyer and member of the French far-right institution Higher Institute of Economic Sociology (ISSEP, by its French acronym), will also be present.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 22, 2023 02:35 UTC
Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative earns prestigious Princess of Asturias award
In yet another victory for the Argentine scientific community, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) was awarded Spain’s Princess of Asturias award during a ceremony on Friday. Earlier this week, the National Administration of Drugs, Food, and Medical Technology (ANMAT, by its Spanish acronym) approved the first COVID-19 vaccine developed entirely in Argentina. Founded in 2003, DNDi aims to find new treatments for diseases that include malaria, mycetoma, and pediatric HIV, among many others. “In our world, in our increasingly hostile, volatile world, I hope we might take to heart another rule every actor is taught: it is all about listening.”The Princess of Asturias Foundation was established in 1981. The award ceremony is held each October in Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, Spain.
Source:Bueno Aires Herald
October 21, 2023 10:41 UTC