Inside Story

Can President-elect Alberto Fernandez fix Argentina’s problems?

Voters in Argentina elect a new leader and a familiar face as his deputy.

Argentines have voted overwhelmingly for change, and are looking to Alberto Fernandez to steer them out of a crippling economic crisis.

The presidential election result in the country marks a shift back to left-wing politics in South America – following right-wing victories in Brazil, Colombia and Chile.

Argentines rejected the austerity measures of President Mauricio Macri.

His conservative policies failed to stop the slide towards another massive bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

With former leader Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner running alongside Fernandez as vice president, the new leader also seems to offer Argentines a return to the past.

But can they succeed when many others have failed and solve decades of economic crisis?

Presenter: Hazem Sika

Guests:

Alan Cibils – Chairman of the Political Economy Department, Universidad Nacional De General Sarmiento

Bruno Binetti – Non-resident fellow, Inter-American Dialogue think-tank

Jimena Blanco – Head of Latin America research, Verisk Maplecroft global risk consultancy