Argentina’s president-elect Alberto Fernández will go to Mexico in his first trip abroad, signalling an interest in aligning himself with like-minded leftist leaders in Latin America such as Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Fernández will travel to meet the Mexican president next week, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The exact dates of the trip have yet to be confirmed, the person said, declining to be named because he is not authorised to speak publicly.
After winning Argentina’s presidential election on Sunday, Fernández wasted no time in touting the old guard of Latin America’s leftist leaders. He congratulated Evo Morales for winning a contested fourth term in Bolivia and called for the liberation of Brazil’s former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a hero for the Latin American left, from prison, drawing the disapproval of current leader Jair Bolsonaro.
The trip to Mexico to meet 'AMLO,' as the leftist Mexican president is known, is another step suggesting Fernandez will change Argentina’s foreign policy after four years of the pro-business administration of Mauricio Macri.
Fernández didn’t mention Venezuela in his speech. The country’s status has been a major regional issue due to the huge flow of migrants leaving the country due to the severe economic crisis. Macri was a strong critic of President Nicolás Maduro.
Fernandez takes office on December 10.
--BLOOMBERG
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