Newspapers in Argentina
According to EHISTORYLIB.COM, Argentina is a country located in South America. The spread of daily newspapers in Argentina, which was long one of the highest in Latin America, decreased significantly during the late 1990s and early 2000s (37 newspaper titles per 1,000 residents, 2000); The fall of the people and the recession have been disastrous for the press. According to PHYSICSCAT.COM, the largest nationwide newspapers are published in Buenos Aires and are politically independent. Clarín (founded in 1945), with a circulation of about 560,000 copies, is completely dominant. Other important newspapers are Crónica with both a morning and an evening edition (330,000 copies and 190,000 copies, founded in 1963), La Nación (160,000 copies, founded in 1870) and La Prensa (100,000 copies, founded in 1869)). During the junta era, from 1976, censorship of all media appeared, but it was asserted by Alfonsín’s entry in 1983. However, it has even later occurred that journalists have been threatened after revealing high-level corruption.
According to EXTRAREFERENCE.COM, in Argentina there are almost 100 radio stations, both private and public. TV is broadcast in some 40 channels by one state and four private companies. The channels have their main distribution in Buenos Aires and are transmitted to the interior of the country via satellite. The two largest TV channels in public are Telefé and ArTeAr. There are 681 radio and 293 TV receivers per 1,000 residents (2000).
Culture
According to CALCULATORINC, cultural life in Argentina is versatile but highly concentrated in Buenos Aires. One of the world’s leading opera scenes is the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Culturally, Argentina is otherwise most famous for tango. It was born as a dance just before the transition to the 20th century. Carlos Gardel (1890-1935) and Susana Rinaldi are among the most famous tango songs. One of the best known orchestras is the Sexteto Mayor. The singer Mercedes Sosa (1935–2009) was one of the foremost interpreters of Argentine and Latin American folk music. But the tango has continued to evolve and people today talk about different kinds of “new tango” with groups like Gotan Project and Bajofondo.
The film industry reached a peak in the 1930s and 1940s. A cartoon pioneer, Quirino Cristiani, came from Argentina. He made, among other things, the first animated audio film Peludópolis, from 1931. Swedish kitten Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, active in the 1960s, is considered a precursor to several directors, including Luis Puenzo, Fernando Solanas and Maria Luisa Bemberg. Argentine film’s new names include Diego Lerman, Lucrecia Martel, Daniel Burman, Maxi Dubois and Juan José Campanella. The latter won in 2010 an Oscar for best foreign film with The Secret in their eyes.
In 2011, the Argentine Film Institute introduced new fees on international major films in order to protect the domestic film industry.
Leading authors include José Hernández, Jorge Luis Borges, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Ernesto Sábato, Julio Cortázar, Graciela Montes and Alejandra Pizarnik. A younger generation of writers such as Manuel Puig, Osvaldo Soriano and Alicia Partnoy have portrayed the years under military rule. Other important contemporary authors are Cristian Aliaga, César Aira, Federico Andahazi, Rodrigo Fresán, Claudia Piñiero, Samanta Schweblin, Graciela Montes and Ema Wolf. In 2013, the picture book artist Marisol Misenta received the Alma Award (awarded in memory of Astrid Lindgren).
Since the 19th century, according to SOFTWARELEVERAGE.ORG, Argentine visual arts have taken their inspiration from European trends; first landscape painters, such as Prilidiano Pueyrredón, then impressionists such as Martín Malharro. Ernesto de la Cárcova and the Nexus Group reflect the social changes in the turn of the century Buenos Aires. Cubism reached Argentina in the 1930s through, among others, Emilio Pettorutti. Among a number of other prominent artists are Leon Ferrari, Lino Enea Spilimbergo, Antonio Seguí and Carlos Alonso.
Football and horse polo are the major national sports.
2019
December
Crisis measures are adopted
December 21
The government’s economic crisis program is adopted by the Senate with 41 votes and 23 against. It includes, among other things, tax increases for middle and high income earners, new taxes on agricultural exports and tax relief for more vulnerable groups, and new currency controls (see December 11, 2019). In the past, Parliament’s lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, has also given its approval. High inflation, which is expected to reach 57 percent in 2019, is one of many serious problems, with only Venezuela and Zimbabwe having higher inflation. Another is that the value of the Argentine peso, which fell by 50 percent in 2018, has continued to decline (by 38 percent in 2019). In addition, 41 percent of Argentines live below the poverty line. However, it is not as bad as in the previous crisis at the turn of the millennium, when 57 percent of the residents were considered poor. In order to cope with the worst crisis, the state will distribute food vouchers to those who have the worst. In addition, the government has unilaterally decided to postpone the payment of debt ($ 9 billion, due in August 2020).
The government announces several tax increases
December 17
According to THERELIGIONFAQS.COM, Argentina’s new government announces a 30 percent tax on all purchases of foreign currency and a freeze on all prices, including electricity and water, for six months. When it comes to buying foreign currency, an upper limit, $ 200 a month, is also set for how much you can procure. The property tax should also be increased, as will the tax on those who have foreign assets. At the same time, all pensioners should receive a “bonus” of the equivalent of $ 160, which is paid out in two installments. The measures are aimed at boosting the Argentine economy.
Bolivia’s ex-president gets political asylum in Argentina
December 12
Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales arrives in Argentina, where newly-elected President Alberto Fernández has granted him political asylum. Along with Morales come several former Bolivian ministers. Morales had previously been granted political asylum in Mexico, but according to one of his colleagues, he feels “more comfortable in Argentina”.
France will extradite tortured suspected Argentine
December 12
France is preparing to hand over former police officer Mario Sandoval to the Argentine authorities. Sandoval is suspected of committing torture and crimes against humanity during the dictatorship years in Argentina 1976-1983. Argentine prosecutors have requested that he be extradited to face trial for his role in the kidnapping of Hernán Abriata, a student who disappeared in 1976. Sandoval denies all involvement in this, but he is suspected of involvement in several hundred other cases of kidnapping, torture and murder. Sandoval has been a French citizen since 1997, but the extradition has been cleared when the crimes commenced before then. On December 15, the extradition will take place.
The Minister of Economy is trying to calm lenders
December 11
Argentina’s new finance minister Martín Guzmán is trying to calm the country’s lenders by saying that the new government will try to establish constructive relations with them. He also emphasizes how fragile the Argentine economy is. Argentina risks being unable to meet the next loan payment and Guzmán, who is critical of the IMF and the austerity policy pursued by the Macri government, says the new government has already begun negotiations with the IMF.
Fernandez takes over as president
December 10
Alberto Fernández of the Peronist Frente de Todos takes over the presidential post. Thus, Argentina takes a clear step to the left. The new president promises to try to bridge the country’s large social divisions and, through cheap loans, try to speed up domestic consumption. Fernandez takes over a country in crisis, where austerity policies have hit hard on many Argentines. He says in his installation figure that it is necessary for a country to have economic growth in order for it to pay off its foreign debt, but at the same time emphasizes that the will to repay is available but not the capacity. Argentina was forced to ask the IMF in 2018about a major crisis loan and has since borrowed about $ 44 billion. The total external debt is estimated to be $ 315 billion, which corresponds to 100 percent of Argentina’s GDP. Inflation reaches around 50 percent and about 40 percent of Argentines lead into poverty. Fernandez drives himself to the ceremony in his own car, a Toyota, to show that he is a man of the people. Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Paraguay’s President Mario Abdo Benítez and Uruguay’s outgoing President Tabaré Vázquez are the only foreign heads of state to attend the ceremony. Chile’s Sebastián Piñera decided to cancel because of a plane crash that hit the Chilean military, and Brazil sent its Vice President.
The US plans tariff duties on Argentine steel and aluminum
December 2
US President Donald Trump has announced via Twitter that the tariffs on Argentine and Brazilian steel and aluminum will be reintroduced. He accuses the countries of having carried out “massive devaluations” which he believes strike against American peasants. Exactly how this will look is not clear. The Argentine peso has lost 60 percent of its value against the dollar since the beginning of the year. Steel and aluminum account for about 3 percent of the country’s total exports. Steel exports alone generated revenue of $ 220 million in 2018. The United States is Argentina’s third largest trading partner after Brazil and China. Both Argentina and Brazil have been able to exploit the US-China trade war to sell more to the Chinese market at the expense of American peasants. Trump has had a good relationship with Argentina’s outgoing President Mauricio Macri,
November
Marco Lavagna becomes new finance minister
November 28
The change of power in Argentina is approaching, and for the first time after the election, incoming President Alberto Fernández is making statements about what kind of policy he intends to pursue. Marco Lavagna, a moderate peronist, is given the important post of finance minister. However, the entire new government will only be presented on December 6, just four days before the change of power. The appointment of Lavagna also gives a signal that the statistical authority Indec, will be able to maintain its independence. During Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s last two years in power (2013 to 2015), Indec was accused of presenting inaccurate figures for the government to appear in a better day.
October
Argentina tightens the currency controls
October 28
Argentina’s central bank tightens its currency controls so that no more money should disappear from the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Not least because the shift in power is likely to mean that the country will pursue a more protectionist economic policy. The election saw a 4 percent decline on the Argentine stock exchange. There is continued concern that Argentina will not be able to pay off its $ 57 billion debt to the IMF.
Alberto Fernández wins the presidential election
October 27th
Opposition candidate Alberto Fernández, who is running for Frente de Todos (The Front for All), wins the presidential election already in the first round with about 48 percent of the vote. The incumbent President Mauricio Macri, who is running for Juntos por el Cambio (Together for Change), makes a better choice than expected and gets about 40 percent of the vote (he gets the most votes in six of 23 electoral districts, including several of the country’s largest cities). In third place comes Roberto Lavagna from Consenso Federal. Macri congratulates Fernández for the victory and invites him to the presidential palace to prepare for the change of power, which will only happen on December 10. The Vice Presidential election is won by former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. In the province of Buenos Aires, however, it is clear that Axel Kicillof, finance minister under Fernández de Kirchner becomes new governor. In the city of Buenos Aires, however, a candidate from Macris camp wins. In the election to the Chamber of Deputies, where half of the seats were at stake, Macris’s alliance Juntos por el Cambio wins 10 new seats, which looks to give 120 seats, against about 109 for Frente de Todos. However, Frente de Todos appears to be getting a grip on the Senate, where the alliance wins 14 of the 24 seats in the election, giving it 38 seats, compared to Juntos por el Cambio, which wins seven new seats and ends on 28 seats. The turnout is around 81 percent. versus about 109 for Frente de Todos. However, Frente de Todos appears to be getting a grip on the Senate, where the alliance wins 14 of the 24 seats in the election, giving it 38 seats, compared to Juntos por el Cambio, which wins seven new seats and ends on 28 seats. The turnout is around 81 percent. versus about 109 for Frente de Todos. However, Frente de Todos appears to be getting a grip on the Senate, where the alliance wins 14 of the 24 seats in the election, giving it 38 seats, compared to Juntos por el Cambio, which wins seven new seats and ends on 28 seats. The turnout is around 81 percent.
Hard accusations in the last TV debate before the election
October 20
In the last televised debate, which would have been about security, economics and social welfare, President Mauricio Macri goes hard on his main rival in the presidential election leftist Alberto Fernández and asks what he, who served in both spouses Kirchner’s governments, felt to the corruption alleged to have occurred then (several legal proceedings are ongoing against former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who is also Fernández’s Vice Presidential candidate). Fernández makes counter-accusations against Macri about whether he knew about how state contracts were distributed or irregularities that should have occurred in companies owned by Macris’s now deceased father. Assessors believe that Macri barely managed enough distrust of the rival for him to be re-elected. Opinion surveys, which are far from reliable in Argentina,August 2019). Macri is criticized from two directions, the right says he did not go hard enough to get the economy in order at the beginning of the term, while the left accuses him of only protecting wealthy Argentines.
The leftist Fernández favorite to win the presidential election
October 20
Opposition candidate Alberto Fernández of the Left Peronist Alliance Frente de Todos (Front of All) is one of six candidates in the October 27 presidential election and a big favorite to win the election. He clearly won in the Argentine primary elections in August with almost 48 percent of the vote, while incumbent President Mauricio Macri, whose alliance is called Cambiemos, received just over 32 percent (see August 2019). Fernandez’s horse is the former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who is running for election of vice president. Several judges speculate that it will be she who will rule behind the scenes if both are elected, others believe that Fernández is more independent than that, and that he is not as far left as his vice presidential candidate. He is also considered a pragmatic politician and skilled negotiator. Macri won the 2015 election by promising that Argentina would be a “normal country”, but the economy is again in an acute crisis, with 2019 inflation appearing to land at 55 percent, and his savings policy has hit hard on many Argentines. Whoever wins will take over an economy that is in worse shape than it was before the last election four years ago.IMFwho granted major crisis loans to Argentina will want to have a say in the team. Apart from Macri and Fernández, only Roberto Lavagna, Kirchner’s former finance minister, looks to get at least 10 percent of the vote. In addition, the right-wing candidate José Luis Espert, the conservative Juan José Gómez Centurión and Nicolás del Caño from the Left Front are participating. To win the presidential election, a candidate must receive at least 45 percent of the vote in the first round of elections. At the same time as the presidential election, elections are also held for half of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and a third of the seats in the Senate. Much of the election campaign has been about the economy, especially the high inflation, falling real wages and rising unemployment, as well as corruption and how public spending should be managed. Read more about the Argentine election inThe Foreign Magazine.
September
New crisis measures are planned for poor Argentinians
September 12
The Chamber of Deputies votes unanimously for new emergency measures to ensure that the poor population receives food aid. This will be done through increased funding for a number of social programs to organize soup kitchens and more. For the measures to take effect, they must also be approved by the Senate. In line with falling peso rates and rising inflation, real wages are being eroded for many Argentines, which has led to the rise of poverty in the country again.
Rising inflation exacerbates the crisis
11 September
The falling value of the Argentine peso creates new problems for the government, as inflation regains momentum. Prices rose by 4 percent in August, and many analysts believe they will continue to rise at the same rate in September, which could beat President Mauricio Macri’s chances of being re-elected. This is despite the fact that the government has used $ 15 billion of its foreign currency reserves to keep the rate on pesos. Forecasts indicate that inflation for the year will reach 59 percent at year-end. The crisis is triggering protests, where activists, among other things, block several Buenos Aires avenues. The opposition and the Catholic Church are calling on the government to announce a “disaster state” to ensure that people get the food they need. At the same time, it is uncertain when the IMF will pay the next installment of its support package, much because of uncertainty about the upcoming election.
Government introduces new currency controls
2 September
To prevent the serious economic crisis in Argentina from further exacerbating the government’s new currency controls to prevent continued capital flight. This means that all companies must obtain permission from the central bank to buy dollars for pesos. Some restrictions are also imposed on individuals who are allowed to buy up to $ 10,000 per month to secure their savings, for larger amounts than the central bank’s approval also require. However, they are not prevented from withdrawing dollars from their accounts, nor are there any restrictions on travel or trade. The Argentine peso has lost almost a quarter of its value to the dollar since the August 11 primary elections. Outside the banks, queues ring long with Argentinians waiting to withdraw dollars from their bank accounts.December 2015).
August
Minister of Finance Lacunza asks the IMF for secondment with loan payments
August 28th
Finance Minister Hernan Lacunza asks the IMF to renegotiate the terms of the $ 56 billion loan granted to the country in 2018. The next disbursement of just over $ 5 billion will be made in September 2019, and repayment of the loan is scheduled to begin in 2021. That Lacunza asks if now there is little room, so that the repayment should be done at a slower rate than previously agreed.
The Minister of Finance resigns
August 17th
Finance Minister Nicolás Dujovne resigns after a financially chaotic week, when the Argentine person lost 20 percent of his value to the dollar. Dujovne is replaced by Hernán Lacunza, former finance minister in the province of Buenos Aires. Lacunza says a few days later that he will use the country’s dollar reserve to defend the people.
Macri provides a variety of selection promises
August 14th
A few days after the loss in the primary election, President Macri makes a series of promises to voters ahead of the October 2019 presidential election. Macri promises to lower income taxes for low-paid workers, raise grants and introduce a 90-day halt for fuel price hikes. He also promises a higher minimum wage, unclear by how much. Workers should receive some kind of bonuses of $ 33 with the September and October salaries. Unemployed are promised extra child allowance, while civil servants and employees of the security forces are to receive a one-time bonus of $ 83. Small and medium-sized enterprises should also receive financial relief. The election promises would cost the state about $ 665 million to pay.
President Macri loses primary election
August 11th
President Mauricio Macri, who is a candidate for the alliance of Juntos por el Cambio, loses the primary election against Alberto Fernández, who has a more left-liberal profile than the business-friendly Macri. Fernandez gets 47 percent of the vote against 32 percent for Macri, whose popularity has declined since the currency crisis erupted in 2018 and his government forced to borrow $ 56 billion from the IMF. In practice, the election serves as a poll for the October 27 presidential election. Fernandez is doing particularly well in the populous Buenos Aires province, where about two-fifths of Argentine voters live. It seems as if Macri lost the strong support he received in the 2015 election from the Argentine middle class, while his political rival went to the election on a fairly moderate policy. Fernandez’s horse, former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, has kept a low profile during the election campaign. She has strong support among about a third of the Argentines, while being disliked by large groups.
July
The IMF gives a clear sign for a new loan disbursement
July 12
Argentina may show a surplus of over $ 700 million in state finances for the first half of 2019. This means that the government is meeting the target of at least $ 20 million that the IMF has set as a condition for further loan disbursements. Later that day, the IMF Board decides to pay $ 5.4 billion to Argentina. However, inflation in Argentina has continued to rise, although not as rapidly as before.
June
Mercosur concludes free trade agreement with EU
June 28
Argentina and the other Mercosur countries reach a free trade agreement with the EU after 20 years of negotiations. However, in order to enter into force, the agreement must be approved by the European Parliament and all individual EU states, which can prove difficult due to increasing protectionism and opposition to free trade. The agreement is the second largest EU agreement, covering 780 million people and a quarter of the world’s GDP. Both environmental organizations and farmers in the EU are critical to the agreement.
Argentina suffers from massive power outages
June 16
Large parts of Argentina are darkened after an extensive power outage, which also affects Uruguay and to some extent Paraguay. Almost 50 million people are without electricity. The problem seems to have arisen at the Yacycretá hydroelectric plant, but exactly what has happened should be carefully investigated, President Macri promises. On Sunday evening, most people have regained their power.
Mass forms alliance with the Victory Front
June 12
Sergio Massa of the Peronist Renewal Front (FRP) announces that he joins the opposition alliance that has the Victory Front’s Alberto Fernández as its presidential candidate and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner as vice presidential candidate. Massa stands for a more moderate political line than the other two, and has strong support in Buenos Aires province.
Ex-minister sentenced to prison for corruption
June 12
José López, a minister during the Kirchner couple’s time in power, is sentenced to six years in prison for corruption. The case aroused great attention when López was arrested in 2016 when he tried to hide suitcases containing $ 9 million in a monastery. López’s manager, Julio de Vido, who was responsible for public construction, has also been convicted of corruption. Lopéz is also suspected of embezzlement in connection with other corruption deals.
Pichetto becomes Macri’s vice presidential candidate
June 11
President Mauricio Macri, surprisingly, appoints Miguel Ángel Pichetto as his Vice Presidential candidate for the fall election. Pichetto is a 68-year-old lawyer and peronist, and has previously been allied with Carlos Menem, Argentina’s president from 1989 to 1999, and Néstor Kirchner, who was the country’s president from 2003 to 2007. However, he ended up on a coalition course with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (who was Argentina President 2007 to 2015). Pichetto comes from the Peronist faction that does not belong to the Kirchner camp.
May
Protest against the savings policy
30 May
Large parts of Argentina remain silent during a nationwide 24-hour strike in protest of President Macri’s austerity policy. The tough savings policy is a way for the government to keep inflation down, but prices have nevertheless risen by 55 percent over the past year, which is hitting the population hard. Many public servants have also resigned, while a number of government subsidies have been reduced. which has led to higher prices for things like transport, electricity and water.
Thousands demand free abortion
May 29th
Thousands of people gather outside the congress building in Buenos Aires to demand that the country’s harsh abortion legislation be liberalized. This is being done at the same time as a new proposal is being submitted for abortion to be legalized until the 14th week of pregnancy. A similar was approved by the Chamber of Deputies in 2018, but was voted down in the Senate. According to the Argentine Ministry of Health, 350,000 illegal abortions are carried out per year in Argentina, but women’s groups claim that the number is significantly higher. Since congressional elections are held this autumn in Argentina, little will happen in the matter until the end of the year.
Ex-president intends to run for vice president
May 19th
Former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner says she intends to stand as a candidate for the vice presidential post in the fall elections in Argentina. The message came via a movie feature on social media. Until now, many have thought that the ex-president would run in the presidential election, but she has instead asked her former cabinet chief (in practice government) Alberto Fernández to take part in the presidential election. Fernandez, who is considered to be a moderate political figure, later says he will run for office. Fernandez de Kirchner’s message comes three days before she is due to appear in court on charges of corruption. This time, it’s all about a bargain contract that went to a business friend of hers in Santa Cruz Province.
Peronist wins governor election in Cordoba
May 13th
The election of the governor of Cordoba Province leads to the re-election of Juan Schiaretti of the Peronist Party with clear numbers. However, candidates from the parties within the government alliance Cambiemos make a poor choice and receive at most just under 18 percent of the vote.
Congressman shot to death in Buenos Aires
May 10
Héctor Olivares, who is sitting in the House of Representatives of the Radical Party, is severely shot near the congress building in Buenos Aires. He later dies in hospital. One of his advisers Miguel Yadón is also killed in the attack. Olivares, whose party is part of the governing alliance Cambiemos, has been working on a new bill to curb the football violence in Argentina. Several people are arrested after the act. Argentine media suggests that the act was not political but had personal motives and was primarily directed at Yadón.
April
Macri introduces price halt for basic goods
April 17
President Mauricio Macri faces a price halt on several basic commodities and transport, gas and electricity in an effort to curb the high rate of inflation. Inflation has risen by 55 percent since April 2018. The price hike for 60 basic commodities, including meat, will be valid for six months, but when it comes to public service, it will apply for the rest of the year.
Thousands in protest against austerity policy
April 4th
Thousands of protesters gather in Buenos Aires to protest the government’s austerity policy and to show opposition to Macri being re-elected as president in the fall election. This happens after a period in which dissatisfaction with the president has led to several street protests. The austerity policy is noticeable to ordinary Argentinians, according to new statistics, almost every third resident lives below the poverty line, homelessness has increased and many find it difficult to pay rising costs for electricity and gas as well as bus and train tickets. The crisis has also hit hard on SMEs. Today’s demonstration has been organized by the trade union movement CGT. Macri has already announced that he intends to run for re-election.
March
A new regional forum is formed
March 22
During a meeting in Santiago, eight South American presidents launch the new Regional Forum for the Progress of South America (Prosur), which is intended to replace Unasur – a regional body that has effectively ceased to function. Prosecur will mainly support democracy and the market economy, it says. The initiative has been taken by Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera and Colombia’s Iván Duque, and the other participating countries are Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay and Peru. Representatives of the left-wing governments in Bolivia, Surinam and Uruguay attend the meeting, but those countries do not join Prosur. Venezuela was not invited.
New legal process against ex-president
March 18th
Another legal process is being launched against former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. This time it is about illegal import of liquefied gas. While there are now ten legal proceedings against the ex-president, she seems set to stand in the presidential election this fall, where she looks to be President Mauricio Macri’s main challenger.
February
Several are convicted of darkening terrorist acts in 1994
March 28
A court acquits former President Carlos Menem of charges of blackout over a terrorist attack on a Jewish center in Buenos Aires in 1994. But Juan Jose Galeano, the judge who led the investigation of the act, is sentenced to six years in prison for 6 years for embezzlement and detention evidence. The former head of Argentina’s intelligence service, Hugo Anzorreguy, is sentenced to four and a half years in prison for obstructing the investigation. The car dealer who sold the car where the bomb was carried is sentenced to prison. In addition to Menem, several other persons are acquitted. No one has been convicted of the deed that claimed 85 lives.
Tens of thousands in protest against economic austerity
February 14th
Tens of thousands of people gather in Buenos Aires to protest against austerity policies, rising unemployment and large price increases, including, for example, electricity, water and heat. Similar protests are being held in a number of other Argentine cities. In 2018, the consumer price index rose by almost 48 percent, partly due to the low value of the Argentine peso. That is the highest figure in 27 years.
January
Tens of thousands in protest against government austerity
January 10
Tens of thousands of Argentines gather in Buenos Aires in the first of a series of planned protests against the government’s austerity policy. Similar protests will be held on Thursdays for the rest of the month, the manifestations being organized by two factions of Argentina’s second largest trade union CTA. In order to get rid of the country’s large deficit in the state budget, the government has reduced subsidies for so-called public utility services, which among other things caused electricity and gas prices to multiply since President Macri came to power. Despite this, Macri plans even tougher austerity measures in 2019, despite presidential elections being held this fall, including the electricity tariffs on average 55 percent until August, and gas fees by 35 percent. In addition, bus, train and metro tickets will be increased by 38 percent in January. Tax increases are expected to push up already high inflation. In connection with the announcement of energy price increases at the end of 2018, Energy Minister Javier Iguacel resigned, but he gave no explanation for the decision. One bright point for the government is that tax revenue increased by over 30 percent in 2018. Macri’s voter support has fallen from 66 percent in the fall of 2017 to below 30 percent today.
