Argentine president-elect Macri vows to bolster economic cabinet, revamp foreign policy

A day after being elected Argentina's president, Mauricio Macri on Monday pledged to strengthen the economic cabinet and overhaul foreign policy.

At his first press conference as president-elect, Macri, set to be sworn in on Dec. 10, told reporters he envisions "an economic cabinet of six ministers headed by the minister of finance."

However, Macri, candidate of the conservative Cambiemos (Let's Change) party, mentioned no specific appointments, except saying that the six portfolios would also be labor, energy, production, transport, agriculture, and livestock and fishing.

The former mayor of the capital Buenos Aires was accompanied by his future chief of staff, Marcos Pena, as well as Governor-elect of Buenos Aires Province Maria Eugenia Vidal, and the capital's future mayor, Horacio Rodriguez Larreta.

Nearly half of Argentina's electorate voted for ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli in a tight runoff that saw Macri win by a narrow 2.8 percent.

Macri, who will end the 12-year rule of left-leaning Front for Victory party, has called on his countrymen to "feel they are part of the change."

"Clearly, this is about a change in epoch," said Macri, referring to his election win. "We have many more things that unite us than things that separate us."

At the press conference, Macri also presented part of his foreign policy agenda.

In his view, regional trade bloc Southern Common Market (Mercosur) that groups Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay and Uruguay, should move toward "converging" with the Pacific Alliance, composed of Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Peru.

Macri also spoke in length about Venezuela, "a topic that strains ties with Brazil."

Brazil's left-leaning Workers' Party has more in common with Argentina's outgoing government than with the incoming right-wing party.

Macri, whose election is viewed as changing "the political map of Latin America" by a prominent conservative political commentator and contributor to the U.S. daily Miami Herald, said he wanted to "invoke the democratic clause against Venezuela, for its abuse and persecution of opponents."

The clause, contained in the Mercosur charter, can be used to punish bloc members with suspension if they violate democratic principles.

Cuban news agency Prensa Latina said the initiative to expel or suspend Venezuela revealed "a policy of regional confrontation." Endi