Mauricio Macri was sworn in as president of Argentina on Thursday in a ceremony that was boycotted by his predecessor, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner , after a bitter argument over how and where to hold it.<br />Seeking to curb Mrs. Kirchner, Mr. Macri obtained an injunction from a judge ruling that her term ended at midnight Wednesday, rather than at midday on Thursday, meaning that she would have no official authority over the ceremony.<br />Positioning herself as an unyielding opposition leader, Mrs. Kirchner delivered a farewell speech Wednesday night before thousands of supporters, accusing Mr. Macri of using arguments over the ceremony to distract attention from his plans for major changes in economic policy.<br />Pointing to what has widely been viewed as political gamesmanship, Carlos Pagni, a political commentator, wrote in La Nación newspaper on Thursday that Mrs. Kirchner's decision to stay away had an "ideological dimension."
