- Title: Argentines say they face 'uncertainty' ahead of general election
- Date: 13th August 2019
- Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (AUGUST 13, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** BUENOS AIRES' ICONIC NINTH OF JULY AVENUE WITH OBELISK VARIOUS, EXTERIOR OF ARGENTINA'S CENTRAL BANK VARIOUS, ELECTRONIC SIGNS OUTSIDE EXCHANGE HOUSES LISTING EXCHANGE RATES PEOPLE WALKING DOWN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) 33-YEAR-OLD ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEE, ROMINA DONATO, SAYING: "I'm very happy, I'm happy and I'm glad that there has been a strong rejection of the policies that the government of (President Mauricio) Macri has been carrying out all these years. So, at first it was happiness, and now uncertainty because we don't know what's going to happen from here through October (first round of general election), so we're paying attention to that." FRONT PAGES OF NEWSPAPERS AT NEWSSTAND (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) 52-YEAR-OLD HOTEL EMPLOYEE, ROBERTO CLEIN, SAYING: "What do I think about Fernandez-Fernandez (candidacy of Alberto Fernandez and Cristina Fernandez)? I think they aren't going to get it wrong again and they're going to do things right, because it's the last chance they have to be able to turn this around (referring to economy). If not, I'll never vote for them again, and I'll take responsibility because this time I voted for them." PEOPLE WALKING DOWN STREET VARIOUS, ARGENTINE POLITICAL ANALYST, MARIEL FORNONI, IN HER OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINE POLITICAL ANALYST, MARIEL FORNONI, SAYING: "You would have hoped that the president (Macri) would have made more concrete measures than what they were going to do. And, the truth is, you saw a president that, beyond blaming the past and what's coming, didn't provide much self-criticism, and furthermore we was seen as a president on campaign and not a governing president taking measures." BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (AUGUST 11, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, ARGENTINE PRESIDENT, MAURICIO MACRI, ON STAGE AT CAMPAIGN EVENT AFTER THE AUGUST 11 PRIMARY ELECTIONS BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (AUGUST 13, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) 47-YEAR-OLD CANDY IMPORTER, NESTOR VIELE, SAYING: "And, how do I say it - I'm a businessman, for the past two days the business is stopped because we don't know at what price we can sell. Since our products are imported, just imagine with the inflation that we've had and the dollar going from 46 or 47 (Argentine pesos) to 61 (pesos to the U.S. dollar). We have a business that's stopped for the past two days." BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (AUGUST 11, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, ALBERTO FERNANDEZ ON STAGE AT CAMPAIGN EVENT AFTER THE AUGUST 11 PRIMARY ELECTIONS AUDIENCE AT EVENT FERNANDEZ ON STAGE
- Embargoed: 27th August 2019 21:02
- Keywords: Argentina elections peso devaluation Alberto Fernandez Mauricio Macri
- Location: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
- City: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
- Country: Argentina
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001AS1YREV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Supporters of the opposition presidential ticket of Alberto Fernandez and Cristina Fernandez said they were hopeful for the future after primary elections delivered a blow to the chances market-friendly President Mauricio Macri will be elected to a second term.
While expressing happiness and hopefulness, they also made it known they were wary of "uncertainty" as markets continue to react negatively to the news, roiling the Argentine peso, and the nation's stocks and bonds.
Sunday's (August 11) primary results showed Fernandez, a former cabinet chief, was well placed to win October's general election in the first round. He blamed Macri for the market turmoil.
Fernandez, regarded as a moderate within the Peronist movement, has said he would seek to "rework" Argentina's $57-billion standby agreement with the International Monetary Fund if he won the general election. He has proposed an economic and social pact to combat inflation, which is running at 55%.
Macri, too, deflected responsibility for the financial volatility, saying at a press conference on Monday (August 12) that the opposition should "self-criticize" its own policies in the wake of the market reaction.
Macri, a scion of one of Argentina's wealthiest families, came to power in 2015 on promises to kick-start Latin America's third-largest economy via a liberalization wave.
But the promised recovery has not materialized and Argentina is in recession.
Argentine assets had not recorded the kind of simultaneous fall seen on Monday since the South American country's 2001 economic crisis and debt default, Refinitiv data showed.
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