President Jair Bolsonaro, on a recent trip in Argentina, asked all Argentinians to vote "with reason and not emotion," as they prepare to vote in the presidential elections this year.

Since the beginning of May, Bolsonaro has been calling on Argentinians to avoid reelecting Cristina Kirchner, in a clear nod to the current president of the country, Mauricio Macri, with whom Bolsonaro met on Thursday (6).

President Jair Bolsonaro and Argentina's president, Mauricio Macri (Xinhua/Martín Zabala)

Cristina, meanwhile, surprised everyone when she announced that she would run in the October elections as the Vice President candidate under Alberto Fernandéz.

During his trip last month to Dallas in the United States, Bolsonaro said that he hopes that Argentina does not follow the same path as Venezuela, a country suffering from a deep political and economic crisis.

At the South American leaders' meeting on Thursday, Macri mentioned Venezuela, saying that both presidents talked about the "tough moment Venezuelans are experiencing."

"We will do everything possible to reestablish democracy there." Both Argentina and Brazil recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president and are opposed to dictator Nicolás Maduro.

In an interview with journalists after the meeting with Macri, Bolsonaro once again said that the situation in Venezuela will only change if there is "a crack in the top of the Venezuelan Army." "Otherwise, it is difficult to bring normality to the region."

Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo said Brazil hoped for continued "diplomatic pressure against the dictatorship in Venezuela," and did not admit that negotiations in Oslo had failed. "We will support other initiatives like this."

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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