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Don’t cry for Argentina

I watched my wife with curiosity as she made her way down the supermarket aisle like a child exploring the wonder, variety and colour of a new world.

We were in Jasper at the tail end of a whirlwind, five-week holiday tour of all things Canadian, which included stops in Toronto, Montreal, and of course, via camper, the Rockies. While I was born in raised in Vancouver, for the past six years Ive lived with my Argentinian-born wife in Cordoba, Argentina.

When travelling in a foreign country the mundane articles of daily life can be fascinating. And supermarket shelves typical of Canada and full of things shed never seen as someone born near the end of a fading military dictatorship and economic collapse, captivated my wife.

I just can t believe how it is in Canada. I just cant believe it, she would repeat for the rest of the trip.

That was six weeks ago. Now Im sitting in a cafe in downtown Cordoba and reflecting on the results of the November 22 presidential election while eavesdropping on an animated political discussion between two men, their hands darting with emphasis, shoulders shrugging.

On nearby Avenue General Paz are the typical signs of Argentinas dysfunction: older men covered in dirt and grime sitting on the edge of a waterless fountain, upturned hands looking hopeless a family loading cardboard and other peoples trash from a dumpster into their horse-drawn cart and traffic rumbling over warped and potholed streets.

If you asked me to predict the elections outcome the week before, I would have said unequivocally Daniel Scioli of the Front For Victory (FV), the same regime that has been in power for the past 12 years. Instead it was Mauricio Macri, the current chief of government (mayor) of Buenos Aires and leader of Republican Proposal, who won by an extremely close margin of less than three points, in a historic runoff between the two candidates after a vote three weeks earlier that was too close to call.

My wife is cautiously optimistic and so am I. In fact, it is an enormous relief that what seemed an unstoppable downward spiral for Argentina might just come to a halt.

In the town where my wife was born, Scioli supporters handed out bags of beans, rice and other staples in bags with his face plastered on the front. To the poor, he seemed like Santa Claus, except it looked much like the spending sprees disguised as socialism that has characterized the populist partys rule in Argentina for more than a decade, beginning with the late Nestor Kirchner in 2003 and then his widow Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in 2007.

The Kirchners are a wealthy family. They have major economic clout in the south of Patagonia and their wealth increased enormously when they took power.

Being rich is not a crime, but the fact that the Kirchners and the Front claim to be social champions and defenders of the poor and disenfranchised, flies in the face of their top-down authoritarian political style, alleged corruption and flagrant displays of wealth.

Argentinas most adored (and controversial) political couple Juan and first wife Eva Peron were populists as well. However, they brought many new and important social changes to the country, including universal suffrage, public education, and public health. Ever since, parties looking to capitalize on their infallible reputation and nostalgia, have identified themselves as Peronists. The champion of this impersonation is Cristina Kirchner, who routinely gives emotionally-charged speeches to Argentines as if they were her dearest children, protecting them from the capitalist evils of the middle class and upper classes, opposition media, corporations and U.S. imperialists. The PV practised the politics of fear.

In the most recent election, Macri repeatedly emphasized the positive and how his team would help lead Argentina, rather than cast the leader as some idolized superhero.

Argentinas public television channel, TVP, still under the control of the Kirchners, failed to broadcast Macris victory speech. They broadcast a Danish film instead.

Sciolis speech following his defeat, lest they forget, made reference to his partys achievements over the last 12 years and how he hoped that they wouldnt be lost with the new government. Intrinsic to his campaign was the message to the working and poorer classes that the much adored subsidies would come to an end. But what did the PV actually achieve?

Since Ive lived here, the value of Argentinas peso has decreased by more than 100 per cent and inflation continues to hover at between 25 and 40 per cent. Crime, including worrisome narcotrafficking, has grown substantially making Argentina a far less safe country.

And if its any indication, Argentina has been cozying up to Russia, China and Venezuela, countries that dont seem to mind where they do their business.

What the PV did achieve was more symbolic than real. They tried the former junta for war crimes, yet corruption has ran rampant under their own regime. They supposedly reduced poverty, but really just made an enormous part of the population dependent on handouts. These subsidies wouldnt be necessary if the nation prospered. The only reason that so many subsidies exist is the utter failure of the government to properly manage the country, not some malevolent force, domestic or abroad.

Its not clear what the goal of the government was. The FVs 12-year project to transform the nation has left Argentina far worse off.

For my wife, it took a trip to Canada to put in evidence that a socially conscious, safe, egalitarian, and prosperous nation isnt a unicorn.

Dutifully whenever friends and family ask about our trip, she explains what a middle class life can be, and moreover, what a government and a country can be.

The job ahead for Macri s government will be anything but easy.

Maybe the PV didnt want to win in the first place. Four years from now, with Argentines having to put up with cutbacks on subsidies as Macris government begins to try and undo the damage of the past 12 years, will make any future opposition candidate seem like an angel descending from heaven. Macri will have to find a delicate balance of making hard but meaningful changes while still maintaining the faith of Argentines.

All nations looking for stability in South America will be watching Argentina with optimism. With its enormous economic and human potential, perhaps under Macri Argentina will open itself to Latin America and the world as well.

Argentines arent asking for much. They only want what Canadians take for granted and what we consider normal: a stable economy, a safe place to live and fully stocked supermarket shelves.

Nicholas Engelmann lives in Cordoba, Argentina. He is a lecturer and biologist who works as an expedition guide on trips to Antarctica.

news@nowtoronto.com | @nowtoronto

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