In inflation-hit Argentina, where rentals, cars, and appliances are increasingly priced in dollars to sidestep the volatile peso, a leading presidential candidate has sparked debate over whether to officially adopt the currency as a remedy to a battered economy.
The US dollar has long been a refuge for Argentines from pesos which lose value faster than they can spend them. Citizens bypass strict currency controls to buy dollars from a flourishing parallel market and squirrel them away at home in what is often their only viable means of savings.