Friday, April 25, 2008

Argentine econ minister quits

The economy minister for Argentina quit on Thursday despite being at the post for less than five months. 36-year-old Martin Lousteau was the youngest member of President Cristina's Fernandez's cabinet yet his proposal to hike taxes on soybean exports led to a crippling three-week farmers strike.

According to one economic analyst, the new economy minister will not deviate too much from Lousteau’s agenda:

Lousteau was replaced by the former head of Argentina's tax agency chief, Carlos Fernandez, who is considered close to the Argentine leader and her husband...

"In terms of decision-making, we're not going to see a change," Argentine political analyst Rosendo Fraga said. "Specific economic decisions are being taken by Kirchner."

In the meantime, argentine stock markets have taken a tumble today with benchmark dollar bonds slumping to an eight-month low.

Sources- The Latin Americanist, Reuters, Bloomberg, CNN, MSNBC

Image- BBC News


No comments: