Argentina’s president reshuffles Cabinet as country grapples with economic crisis

By Bala Chambers

LONDON (AA) - Argentina’s president announced a Cabinet reshuffle Thursday in a bid to get to grips with the country’s longstanding economic crisis.

Alberto Fernandez decided to unite all economic areas of his Cabinet under Lower House Speaker Sergio Massa, who has been given the new title of "super minister."

The ministries of economy, productive development, and agriculture, livestock and fisheries will be unified.

"President Alberto Fernandez decided to reorganize the economic areas of his Cabinet for better operation, coordination and management," said an official press release from the Casa Rosada, the office of the president.

It went on to confirm that Massa will oversee developments as soon as his departure from his current role as house speaker is "resolved."

According to local daily Perfil, Economy Minister Silvina Batakis has been confirmed as remaining in the government and has been given the role of president of Banco de la Nacion Argentina, Argentina's largest state-run bank.

Secretary of Strategic Affairs Gustavo Beliz has also tendered his resignation alongside a number of other lawmakers.

On Twitter, the governor of Salta province, Gustavo Saenz, wrote that "the incorporation of @SergioMassa to the national Cabinet would provide the energy, dynamism and consensus that the country needs," adding "there are no saviours, but there are leaders with the ability and experience to change reality. Undoubtedly @SergioMassa is one of them."

More developments are expected in the coming days.

In recent months, there have been tensions within the ruling Frente de Todos party, with rifts between those ideologically aligned with Vice President Cristiana Fernandez de Kirchner and those close to President Fernandez.

In early July, then Economy Minister Martin Guzman resigned from his post amid deep rifts in the ruling coalition after alleged clashes with de Kirchner, an influential two-term former president, concerning how to best manage the South American nation's economic crisis.​​​​​​​

Last September in the aftermath of a heavy defeat in Argentina's primary election, several ministers offered their resignations from the Frente de Todos coalition.