RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The President-elect of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, introduced on Friday, December 6th, his future cabinet, which features a young academic heterodox in the Treasury who advocates the deferral of the debt repayment. Fernández’s team, which will take office on Tuesday, December 10th, at ‘Casa Rosada’ (“Pink House”), will be led by Santiago Cafiero, a 40-year-old political scientist, of Peronist orientation and grandson of historic leader Antonio Cafiero.
After weeks of rumors, Martín Guzmán Farm, 37 years old, has finally been confirmed and will hold a key position in view of the urgent need to honor the debt with the International Monetary Fund – US$44 billion (R$176 billion) received since 2018 – and with the bondholders, totaling US$315 billion.
A contributor in New York to Joseph Stiglitz’s Nobel Prize in Economics, the new Finance Minister advocates deferring – for two years – the repayment of interest on sovereign debt through an agreement with its creditors and extending the terms for the main loan.
“It is a joy that he has accepted to leave New York and return to Buenos Aires. I have enormous confidence in him. He is a very well prepared young man. We’ve worked together for several weeks,” Fernández said when he introduced the minister on Friday.
The IMF granted Argentina a credit of US$57 billion over three years, but Fernández relinquished the last portion in exchange for “allowing the country to grow” and to emerge from the recession.
Guzmán, director of a program on debt restructuring and a researcher at Columbia University, is also a professor of macroeconomics at the University of Buenos Aires.
The Ministry of Production was handed over to Matías Kulfas, a 47-year-old university professor and one of Fernández’s economic references.
With management experience, Kulfas focused his work on financial assistance programs for small and medium enterprises.
Peronist Deputy Felipe Solá, an agronomist with a long political career but little experience in diplomacy, will be the chancellor.
The Ministry of the Interior will be entrusted to Eduardo ‘Wado’ de Pedro, the right-hand man of former President Cristina Kirchner, now Fernández’s vice-president.
Son of missing persons from the dictatorship (1976-1983) and 43 years old, ‘Wado’ is one of the founders of La Cámpora, a group led by Máximo Kirchner, Cristina’s son.
In addition to returning several secretariats to the ministry status, Fernández will be creating new portfolios, such as Women, Gender and Diversity, which will remain with human rights attorney Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta, and Territorial Development and Habitat, with the architect María Eugenia Bielsa.
Fighting Hunger
Among the priorities confirmed by Fernández is the fight against hunger and poverty, which will be carried out by the Minister of Social Development, Daniel Arroyo, 53, with extensive experience in the subject.
After announcing that he will once again promote the debate on abortion in Congress, Fernández named sanitation Ginés González García as Health Minister, a post he held during the government of Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007).
The president of the San Lorenzo soccer club and former mayoral candidate for Buenos Aires, Matías Lammens, will hold the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and the doctor of Biochemistry, Roberto Salvarezza, will hold the position of Science and Technology.
The Ministry of Culture will be entrusted to film and documentary director Tristán Bauer.
Source: Carta Capital