Monday 15.8.2022
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Last update – 2:02
In statements to NA, Pinedo assured that the former Minister of Security has the characteristics that “coincide with the need of the moment,” which for him are: “conviction, courage and decision.”
In addition, regarding the intersection between the President of the PRO and the leader of the Civic Coalition, Elisa Carrió, he affirmed that his gaze was “critical of what happened”, and added: “One has only one energy and you have to apply it to what important part of what you want to transform”.
Below are the main passages from the interview with Noticias Argentinas: .
NA- Why could Sergio Massa turn the course of the catastrophe?
FP– I said it in the sense that it can do it; I didn’t say I was hoping it would. Massa or anyone could generate a solution to the Argentine crisis if he had the conviction, the courage and the team to do it. He doesn’t have all of that.
I have serious doubts that this will end in a virtuous way, which would be with a stabilization and growth plan, but I don’t see that it can.
— We must make a very important regime change. We must believe in the ability of Argentines to work in freedom; we must believe more in the rules and the arbitrariness of officials. It is necessary to look for Argentina to be solvent in the long term. It is necessary to build trust in a currency, lower taxes and make it possible for people who work in the informal sector to pass the formal sector with a new labor system. All these things together, which are in our stabilization and growth plan, almost none of them will happen.
– None of the first package of measures given by the new minister?
— Never year. Some will happen, but not that set of things that should happen for inflation to stop and the country to start growing.
– But the market seems to have found peace, at least for these days.
— Yes, the State came out of a panic situation and was left in a situation of marked pessimism. That needs to be transformed into greater predictability. What is called marking is people who buy and sell bonds, securities or shares. For people to do that requires predictability. I don’t know how this government will do to generate it, but some signs were positive. The theme that they will stop giving away energy.
– In what position was President Alberto Fernández? .
— The President retired from the exercise of the presidency, regrettably. Argentina is a presidential country; institutions are the rules that society has to function and one of those rules is that the President is important because he sets the course. That generates certainties and you can cooperate. If the President withdraws, which is what happened, nobody knows where we are going.
– Is Massa the government’s silver bullet?
— No, any government can take measures to get out of a crisis. In the case of inflation, the solutions are well known: Brazil’s real plan, Israel’s disinflation plan, Alfonsín’s southern plan, and Cavallo’s convertibility plan.
It is known what to do.
– Does the new power scheme of the ruling party produce any effect in PvC?
— Together for Change, in each electoral turn, obtained more than 40% of the votes, at least once. It is the alternative force that Argentines have when they want to change course. That doesn’t change us.
– He exemplified with various currency stabilization plans. From Patricia Bullrich’s sector, which one are you closest to?
— The principle of the Israeli, Brazilian and Southern plans are similar. That is the way. Before I left the Senate I left a currency exchange project to build something credible and stable. It had a price linked to that of the main currencies of the countries that Argentina markets. The possibility of having a regional currency with Brazil and Uruguay must be evaluated.
— Like the Euro. Countries should coordinate economic policies.
– Is it possible with the current Mercosur?
— We would have to reformulate Mercosur, make a real one. The one that is is half false, more verbal than real. We have to use it as a platform for integration and opening to the world, and we did not
– Cambiemos was formatted as an opposition space that would put an end to Kirchnerism. What condition is that shaft in?
— In 2015, Cambiemos yes was a construction to defeat the Kirchnerism of parties that knew each other and had been working for a long time in the Chamber of Deputies, but from different perspectives of Argentina. The result of that was the government of Mauricio Macri. Now, Together is a much more cohesive force.
Right now we are working in coordination with radical foundations, the Civic Coalition and Republican Peronism with shared plans for the most part.
– With this conflict between the CC and the rest of JxC, the magnifying glass that the ruling party had over it ran….
— Yes. My point of view is critical of what happened because one has only one energy and you have to apply it to what is important in what you want to transform. In this case, to generate an expectation of a good government and a way out of the crisis for the majority of Argentines that we have to represent. Internal discussions are a bad place to put energy.
– It is not the first time that Elisa Carrió has targeted JxC leaders. What was this particularity?
— She has her own look, which is logical. Neither is it necessary to personalize the political discussion. It seems to me that you have to be tough with issues and soft with people, you don’t have to attack as part of politics. We must focus on the central issue raised by Carrió, which is the hypothesis that Argentina’s departure comes from the hand of an agreement between Together for Change and Sergio Massa. I totally agree that Massa is part of the problem, and not part of the solution. He has a crony capitalism look that is not our look.
– Does JxC have enough muscles to face an electoral process without any of the partners?
— The people who vote are more important than the political organizations. There is a majority of Argentines who need a force that guarantees that they win the election to make a relevant change in Argentina. Whoever does will have majority support. JxC will not lose any of its partners because they are all firm in the idea that unity is the basis of action. There is no such hypothesis.
– What characteristics should the next president of Argentina have?
— Patricia Bullrich has characteristics that match the need of the moment, which are: conviction, courage and decision.
Those are the conditions because I consider that we do not have much time and we are going through a very bad moment in society.
That requires a quick and forceful response.
– A stage of third would open Mauricio Macri the opportunity to compete, how do you see it?
— Former President Macri, if he wants to be a candidate, has a chance. I see it totally dedicated to three themes: PvC unity, winning the election, and making the profound change that is needed.
And it is also dedicated to the candidates of his party such as Patria and Horacio.
– In journalistic statements he said: “Patricia has conviction; Horacio is more inclined to make agreements with the system.”
— This is what he says, that an agreement of 70% of the political system is needed. We don’t believe that.
– So, you agree in part with Carrió’s criticism.
— Yes, we agree on that. 70% includes many of those who are in government because no one now has popular support.
We do not think that -especially- Massa is part of the solution, but part of the problem.
-Isn’t there a contradiction? In the sense that the former Minister of Security among the people she defended is Rodríguez Larreta.
–Patricia defended leaders who did important work for our political sector. She doesn’t think they should be attacked.
– Carrió said in 2014 that Macri was his limit, what would his limits be?
— We had to govern in an extreme minority. In 2015, when I presided over the Senate, we were 15 senators out of 72. There you learn that you can do what is best for the country. You don’t have to set limits; the limit is the best you can. In my experience, with whom you cannot dialogue, it is with those who have interests different from yours or bad faith. Within those that are republican and democratic, there are almost no limits. There are different views, but legitimate.
– What would Javier Milei bring to JxC?
— Surely a bit of conflict because there are some who don’t want it within PvC. I believe that Milei represents an important sector of Argentina and represents some very valuable ideas. In people working with rules; in the freedom of initiative; in the potentiality of people interacting in freedom and under the Law; economic stabilization; all of that we share. His ideas about organs, babies and all that stuff we don’t share.
– Beyond the possible contributions of Milei, does it take place in PvC?
— Milei has to make her political career, she has to represent a number of people. Once it does, I suppose what it would bring would be dialogue to do all these things that I mentioned and parliamentary support. I don’t see that he is looking to participate in our primary. It seems to me that Milei wants to have his own path.
– What kind of intern should JxC have?
— Two things have to compete: you have to win and have a good government. So, whoever seeks to represent the coalition has to compete. I do not believe in the competition between parties. We must look for formulas that have power to win the election. From there, everyone will do what they like. Nor can things be divided to infinity because it would damage the power of a government that arrives and transforms.
– An intern in the UCR and one in the PRO? .
— Against each other would be bad. It seems to me that a campaign should be done the same as one would do in government, which is to share perspectives, objectives and actions. That requires having a broader vision than oneself.
– Its viable? Everyone is campaigning
— Yes, completely, but later they will come together -I calculate- in less powerful electoral proposals. It is what I think, but I can be wrong, and there is an internal of many. The best thing is that it is an intern of few and representative of the group.
Federico Pinedo’s political career is part of the Union of the Democratic Center (UCeDé) and the Democratic Party. In 2005 he was part of the foundation of the Republican Proposal (PRO), a space that he is still a member of. Currently, the former president of the upper house during the Macri government accompanies Patricia Bullrich in her presidential race for the 2023 general elections.