Argentina foreign minister resigns before midterm vote
Argentinian Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein has submitted his resignation, the Argentine presidential office said, marking the second departure from the post under President Javier Milei’s almost two-year rule.
It was not immediately clear why Werthein resigned or who would replace the South American country’s top diplomat, who previously served as ambassador to the United States.
The announcement comes days before key legislative elections on Sunday, where Milei’s libertarian party hopes to increase its minority presence to preserve its strategy of steep funding cuts and austerity to improve Argentina’s economy.
Local newspaper La Nacion reported that Werthein was expected to leave office after Sunday’s vote, but instead submitted his resignation on Tuesday night.
Werthein held the post for nearly a year after Milei’s first foreign minister, Diana Mondino, was fired for voting at the United Nations to lift the US embargo on Cuba.
His resignation comes at a sensitive time for Milei, whose popularity has been hit by public anger over his success in reducing inflation, the effects of the cuts, especially on the elderly and the disabled, and the recent government corruption scandal.
Earlier this week, Milei said there could be a cabinet reshuffle after the midterm elections, which face greater scrutiny after signals that US financial support for Argentina could be contingent on the results.
The US Treasury signed an agreement worth US$20 billion (US$31 billion). It opened a currency swap line with Argentina and signaled that it was working on an additional $20 billion facility with banks and investment funds.
