MACRI achieves all the power to reform Argentina

• MACRI achieves overwhelming victory in Argentina's elections
• "I don't know if Macri came to stay, but poverty does"

Mauricio Macri became strongest leader in Latin America on Sunday night. At a time when almost all presidents of region are very weakened, Argentine achieved a landslide victory in legislatures throughout country, and above all he won by more than four points to Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in Buenos Aires. This success gives it a huge power to reform Argentina and makes it center of politics probably for many years. "We must not be afraid of reforms," was first message of a euphoric MACRI, with a triumph that exceeds his own expectations and destroys Peronist opposition.

Mauricio MACRI has been underestimated almost since he was a teenager. First, by his far, one of richest and most controversial entrepreneurs in country, that all his life minusvaloró and even publicly said that his son would never come to president because he was not ready. And n, throughout Argentine establishment, what he calls red circle, which since 2003, when n president of Boca Juniors decided to make leap to politics, mocked his appearance, his way of speaking, his ways of millionaire son , of his ignorance of codes of politics.

But Macri, aided by a loyal team led by Marcos Peña and advised by Ecuadorian Jaime Durán Barba, was gradually consolidating his power, first in mayor of Buenos Aires and now in presidency, to achieve a victory in five key districts of Country that no one had since 1985, when a Raul Alfonsín in wave of recovery of democracy swept away in mid-term elections. MACRI surpasses 40% of vote in whole country and opposition in key squares, so it has an important endorsement of company to carry out its reforms, although it does not have absolute majority of Congress.

MACRI has been able to take advantage of rejection that generated in much of urban and rural middle classes last years of Kirchnerism, in which international isolation, closing of financial markets and explosion of black market of dollar, added to The corruption scandals, provoked a flight of votes to anyone who offered a change. and supported in se middle and rural classes has gradually conquered spaces in lower classes, formerly an impregnable stronghold of Peronism.

Only in this way it is explained that we change, coalition that manages, has managed to win in impoverished provinces and very Peronist as Jujuy, Salta, El Chaco, and even in La Rioja, where he has finally dethroned Cacique Carlos Menem, who was again present and will be senator Even though he was defeated. We changed tore Kirchners in Patagonian Santa Cruz, cradle of his power, which still governs Alicia Kirchner, sister of former president.

Macri won in 2015 for minimum, less than three points, in front of n Peronist candidate Daniel Scioli, supported by Kirchnerism. Since n he has ruled in a minority and with many difficulties. To liberal entrepreneurs and economists who demanded deeper reforms, a faster cut in public spending, Macri always answered m: There is no political margin, we must go little by little because if I do not lose power.

But now he has it all. So president made a clear message: It opens a period to look for great agreements, in style of Spanish Moncloa pacts that many Argentines see as an example, to agree major reforms with governors, employers and trade unions. But if y don't succeed, MACRI will go ahead.

"We entered a stage of permanent reformism." Argentina doesn't have to stop, it doesn't have to be afraid of reforms. We have to do a lot. They will help us live better, "cried a euphoric Macri who made efforts to contain himself." "Power is not going to change me," he insisted on trying to conjure up classic evil of Latin American rulers, that with a presidential system without many counterpowers end up having an absolute dominance that leads to excesses.

Or Argentine presidents have fallen in this attempt to reform especially labor market, dominated by most powerful unions in America, but few had had a wave as favorable as MACRI, which nothing seems to make a dent: neir economic crisis , who still suffer a good part of middle and low classes of Buenos Aires, precisely where more support has had Kirchner, nor errors of management that he himself recognizes with an ease to which Argentineans are not accustomed, nor hard 2016, nor Inflation that is still highest in America after Venezuela, or some scandals with companies of his family or laundering of capital that has been legally accepted by his bror.

So far, president has avoided a stronger adjustment due to debt. The Kirchners had closed international markets in recent years and lowered debt very much. That is why MACRI had a margin and an enchanted market to lend to one of highest rates in world, as well as an infinite entry of speculative capital attracted by interest rates of 27% in pesos. But president knows that that has a limit and this victory marks a change. "As Argentina has a fiscal deficit it will continue to have to take debt because we have a commitment to reduce poverty, which suffers greatly from inflation." If one does not finance deficit with inflation it does so with debt. But we cannot do it forever, so we need to reduce fiscal deficit, he explained.

Now comes hardest part of his mandate, but he faces it with a huge political capital, far superior to any foresight. With Peronism in disbanded and divided, re-election in 2019 seems simple, although in Argentina it is futile to do any foresight. When it started 2015, for example, all analysts said it was impossible for Macri to win. And he did it a few months later.

MACRI has managed to connect with society with message that he has come to make Argentina a normal country, open, where "do not always win most vivid [ready, cheats]" and with idea that already proved for many years all or formulas and did not work , so now it's your turn. The polls point out that people are not happy with current situation, in which y continue to suffer sharply crisis and inflation, but y have great confidence that it will improve in future. Now president has to meet very high expectations. It has a political edge, but it will need results.