Argentina's Macri picks market-friendly senator as running mate
Argentina's Macri picks market-friendly senator as running mate
Source: Reuters - Fri, 19 Jun 2015 18:50 GMT
By Hugh Bronstein
BUENOS AIRES, June 19 (Reuters) - Argentina's presidential contender Mauricio Macri on Friday picked a business-friendly senator with middle class appeal as his running mate, reinforcing his center-right challenge to the ruling party's ticket.
Senator Gabriela Michetti will join Macri in his campaign against front-runner Daniel Scioli, governor of Buenos Aires province. Scioli is allied with outgoing leader Cristina Fernandez, whose heavy-handed trade and currency controls have slowed Latin America's No. 3 economy to a crawl.
By picking Michetti, Macri confirmed his image as the candidate most likely to break with Fernandez's policies, which have scared off investment in Argentina's vast but barely developed shale oil fields. Scioli had already picked one of Fernandez's closest advisors as his vice presidential candidate.
The senator got her start in politics in 2003, years after being left in a wheelchair by an auto accident. A charismatic campaigner, the 50-year-old Michetti is popular among middle class voters and may attract support from outside Macri's urban professional base.
More:
http://www.trust.org/item/20150619185150-ttug4/
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Mauricio Macri[/center]
