BUENOS AIRES — Alberto Fernandez assumed the presidency of Argentina on Tuesday, returning the country to the ranks of left-leaning nations at a moment of right-wing resurgence in the Western Hemisphere. He pledged more aid for the poor and warned that the country would be unable to pay all its debts on time.
Taking the vice presidency was Cristina Fernandez, 66, a polarizing figure who served as president from 2007 to 2015 and faces several charges of corruption from that time. Her presence has raised questions about the extent of her influence in the new administration.
Alberto Fernandez, a 60-year-old lawyer from the country’s center-left Peronist movement, faces the immediate challenge of trying to pull Argentina from economic crisis while fulfilling promises of greater social justice.
