Natasha Niebieskikwiat
07/02/2020 - 17:22
- Clarín.com
- Politics
As it had never happened at a Mercosur summit, the region's presidents met remotely on Thursday, by videoconference. That prevented seeing some behind the scenes. However, with the passing of the hours, Alberto Fernández's decision to leave unexpectedly was taken by the rest as an outrage . It was the midday talk.
As this newspaper was able to reconstruct, the televisions in Argentina were turned off just after Luis Lacalle Pou finished speaking and the provisional president of Bolivia, Jeanine Añez , was just speaking . If they were together in person, that is as if the president got up and left the session room . Bolivia as Chile -Sebastián Piñera also spoke in the Teleconference- are associated States-.
The Fernández government does not recognize the Añez government, considering that it took over after a coup against Evo Morales, to whom he gave refuge as soon as he took power. Jair Bolsonaro regretted on Thursday that Bolivia was unable to participate in the summit preview. A diplomatic source indicated that Argentina was opposed, but Clarín could not confirm it.
The reason why the President left the summit is also not clear. A source said Fernández possibly withdrew in disgust at Añez's presence. Another denied it.
In the two final documents it was agreed that neither Venezuela nor Bolivia were included to avoid conflicting opinions.
For his part, Añez, whose government has protested on certain occasions about the Argentine treatment, greeted Fernández as well as the rest, this Thursday. In his speech he reaffirmed the holding of the general elections in his country on September 6 next.
Bolivia will hold the elections seeking to end a crisis that exploded after Evo Morales' electoral management in October last year. These were annulled and Morales's army chief asked him to resign to stop the fighting in the streets, which left dozens dead.
The vote was scheduled for May 3, but it was postponed without date until this day the electoral body confirmed on September 6.
"Let me highlight the conviction and firm commitment of my government to safeguard the democratic and electoral process," said Áñez, assuring that "the Bolivian nation works to consolidate democracy as solidarity based coexistence between free and equal citizens."
The emergence of the virus has exposed the weaknesses of the health systems at the same time that "it has reminded us that there are heroes in the neighborhoods, in the communities, in the cities and in the countryside."
Jeanine Añez.
The president participated in his first summit and his first meeting with Bolsonaro, with whom he has a bad relationship and with whom he never spoke. Even so, the summit seemed to run in harmony beyond the differences that Bolsonaro, Mario Abdo Benitez and Lacalle Pou have with Alberto F. Differences in the search for free trade agreements, also regarding Bolivia and Venezuela. But everyone named him with respect. The Argentine president instead focused on Abdo Benitez, Lacalle Pou and the head of the European Union's external relations Josep Borrell.
