President Alberto Fernández has the regional leadership role he has coveted since his investiture in December 2019. On 7 January Argentina assumed the pro tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac). It comes at a key time for Argentina. Fernández’s underwhelming performance domestically, which saw his ruling left-of-centre Frente de Todos (FdT) coalition lose its majority in congress in last November’s mid-term elections, could make him even more inclined to look outwards. Although his political weakness does not mark him out as the natural regional standard bearer for the progressive left, as he would like, leadership of Celac comes with some benefits: Argentina won firm support during the Celac meeting of regional foreign ministers held in Buenos Aires, for instance, for its increasingly pressing efforts to restructure its debt with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).End of preview - This article contains approximately 1160 words.
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