Insisting that he will stabilize Argentina’s struggling economy, President Eduardo Duhalde called out thousands of supporters to counter daily protests against his handling of the financial crisis.
“We need to rebuild our country,” he said Friday before a joint session of Congress. “I have been called in to end a cycle of decadence and open a new phase, and I’m going to do it.”
Lawmakers are debating Duhalde’s economic plan to pull South America’s second-largest economy from a four-year recession.
Confronting widespread protests since he took power in January, Duhalde had about 17,000 supporters bused Friday to Congress. The crowd raised banners and rallied as he spoke.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 unemployed Argentines marched elsewhere in the capital to demand jobs.
Duhalde hopes passage of his economic plan–expected this week–along with the revenue accord will lure back aid from the International Monetary Fund. In December, the IMF cut off the country’s access to a $22 billion loan program.
