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Bloomberg
Alberto Fernandez has yet to take office in Argentina. But already diplomats in Buenos Aires are anxiously awaiting what’s set to be yet another pendulum swing in the country’s foreign policy, this time to the left.
That may mean a less fulsome embrace of Donald Trump than incumbent Mauricio Macri, under whom Argentina aligned more with US goals in regional affairs, especially regarding Venezuela. Fernandez has signalled that Argentina will return to its alignment with the left-wing governments of Latin America. That could see closer ties with Mexico and Venezuela, and greater tensions with Brazil, the region’s biggest economy.
Fernandez doesn’t take office until December 10, but the first signs of change were on show within hours of his election win. In an address to supporters at his campaign headquarters, he congratulated Evo Morales — the socialist who’s South America’s longest-serving leader — for securing a fourth term in Bolivia. That’s even as the results are still being verified and as Morales’s opponents allege fraud.
He also called for the release from jail of Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a hero for the Latin American left who is serving nearly nine years for graft and money laundering. That drew immediate disapproval from current President Jair Bolsonaro, signalling a rift between the two largest members of the regional trade bloc known as Mercosur.
Fernandez is also poised to make Mexico the destination of his first international trip, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. There he would meet with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, one of the most popular left-wing presidents in the world with an approval rating over 60%.