I would like to begin by clarifying that the agreement was not signed, but concluded. In other words, myself, my counterparts and the Minister of International Trade at that time, Mr. Fast, as well as his counterparts, stated that the negotiations had come to a close. This is what happened during the negotiations. The agreement was signed a few weeks ago.
As for the American elections, the Obama administration has made the TPP an economic priority. Since we began these negotiations, the United States has really seen this agreement as its key initiative in international trade and perhaps also in terms of business. Consequently, there is an enormous desire on the part of the American administration to have the TPP accepted before the president leaves his post. Will the Americans be able to do that? That is another matter. In order to achieve that, the TPP has to be accepted by Congress. However, there is a Republican majority in Congress, and not a Democratic one. Generally, there has been strong support for the TPP, but the closer we get to the electoral campaign, the more complicated things become, because the issues are more complicated in the political arena.
As to your question regarding whether this could complicate things, I would say that the answer is yes. Could this delay things? Yes. Is the administration really focused on the agreement? The answer is yes.