Argentine President Resigned

In the midst of the unrest that led the death of more than 20 people, Argentine President Fernando de la Rua resigned on Thursday.

As the President de la Rua`s proposal to form a coalition government to solve the economic difficulties was rejected by the opposition party, President submitted a bill of resignation to the Congress and resigned leaving two more years of presidency. Under the constitution, Ramon Puerta, who is the head of the Senate, took over as interim president, since the position of vice President was vacant.

As the news of de la Rua`s resignation spread, the riot in major cities including Buenos Aires begun to calm down, reported the press in Argentina.

Despite the declaration of a state of emergency, the mass protested in front of the presidential palace on Thursday. Due to the protest, at least 22 people died and 250 were wounded in the whole country, and 2,000 were arrested by the police.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of Treasury Paul O`Neill announced that the U.S. was considering a direct financial support to Argentina on Thursday.

Mi-Kyung Jung mickey@donga.com