Police raid Argentina media regulator ahead of power handover

BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) – Police raided the headquarters of Argentina’s media regulator yesterday, prompting the watchdog’s head to accuse President-elect Mauricio Macri of involvement in what he called a “mafia plot” designed to force his resignation.

Martin Sabbatella said Macri wanted to replace him as president of the Federal Authority of Audiovisual and Communication Services (AFSCA) but that he would stay in his post until the end of his mandate in 2017.

The raid was the latest incident pointing to increasingly testy relations between conservative Macri and the outgoing leftist president, Cristina Fernandez, ahead of his Dec. 10 swearing in.

“This raid is about the institutional future of AFSCA,” Sabbatella told reporters after the police operation.

A spokesman for Macri was not immediately available for comment.