Serge Massa finally landed in the Cabinet as the new Super Minister of Economy in a consensual attempt between all the legs of the ruling party for recompose the government of the Front of All and give greater strength to the administration of Alberto Fernandez. At a delicate moment in the political, social and economic sphere, the entry of the former head of the Chamber of Deputies generated a shock throughout the government structure with the resignation of several central management figures. The Tigrense will be responsible for the economic area what absorbed under its orbit the ministries of Productive development y AgricultureLivestock and Fishing, also including relations with the international, bilateral and multilateral credit organizations. Massa reported that next Monday will begin to designate officials who will accompany you in your management.
After the government spokeswoman, Gabriela Cerruti, suspended the press conference that was scheduled for five in the afternoon at the government house, The presidential spokesperson began to issue various communiqués with the modifications that were agreed upon in real time by the President, the legal and technical secretary, Vilma Ibarra; the general secretary of the presidency, Julio Vitobello; the chief adviser Juan Manuel Olmos; the Minister of Security, Aníbal Fernández and the spokeswoman. They stated that the former Minister of Economy, Silvina Batakis, will be the new president of Banco Nacióninstead of Eduardo Hecker; the former Minister of Productive Development, Daniel Scioli, will once again be ambassador to Brazil y Julián Domínguez also resigned from his position in Agriculture and its fate is still unknown.
Another change occurred in the Secretariat for Strategic Relations: Gustavo Beliz left the government for being in disagreement with the incorporation of Massa to the cabinet and in his place will enter the former head of the AFIP, Mercedes Marcó del Pont, which, however, will not have relations with international credit organizations under its control. In her place, the accountant will take over as head of AFIP. Carlos Castagneto, current director general of Social Security Resources of the agency.
A very special day
The intense day began early with a private meeting between the President and Massa in Quinta de Olivos. That meeting took place after days of rumors confirming the entrance of the Tigrense to the cabinet, although the fate was not yet known and there was speculation among the chief of staff or what finally happened. There, the president and the former head of the Chamber of Deputies finished consigning the steps to follow for their entry into the Executive and after the meeting Fernández went to Casa Rosada and Massa went to Congress. There he would have met with Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in the Senate, although from both terminals they do not confirm it. The content of that meeting also remained extremely secretive, but its results will be reflected in the new designations of the economic area that Massa will make on Monday.
Meanwhile, at 12 noon the then Minister of Economy, Silvina Batakisarrived at Casa Rosada, after landing from the United States after his official tour in which he had gone to present the IMF and the head of the organization, Kristalina Georgieva, the government’s economic plan. He was with Fernández for two hours, She made her resignation available to him and after that she left Casa Rosada at 1:55 p.m. She had previously been meeting with her team at the Palacio de Hacienda.
Around 2:30 p.m. the former Secretary of Strategic Affairs, Gustavo Beliz, left the Government House through the Hall of the Busts in solitude. Minutes later It was learned that he had tendered his resignation. As this newspaper learned, there was a heated discussion between the President and Beliz because the former secretary did not agree with Massa’s entry into the cabinet, nor with the conditions that he requested, such as incorporating under his wing relations with the international, bilateral and multilateral credit organizations. However, they clarify that Beliz had long wanted to leave the Government and that this would have been the determining factor. His resignation, which was described as “indeclinable”, was presented to the Legal and Technical Secretariat led by Vilma Ibarra. The letter was brief and handwritten. At the end of it, she wished the government “may God keep it.”
The 44 days of Scioli and the 25 of Batakis
At 3:00 p.m., after Beliz’s resignation was made official, Mr. former Minister of Productive Development and after meeting with Vitobello, He had a meeting of approximately one hour with Fernández where the president told him about the idea of the superministry, but did not clarify that his portfolio was going to be absorbed. Both agreed to continue talking, but after that Scioli had telephone conversations with other officials close to Fernández and from there The possibility of returning to the embassy in Brazil arose. His statement will have to be sent to Congress again because, even though he still had no replacement, the resignation had already been submitted. He was in the ministry for only 44 days and had replaced Matías Kulfas, after the scandal that caused his departure from the government. Batakis, meanwhile, spent 25 days in front of the Economy administration.
“It is what the President wanted. The ministry is not a ‘super’ ministry, it is the Ministry of Economy. Previously, all production segments were part of the Ministry of Economy and now it is like that again,” said Aníbal Fernández, who was until the last minute with the President at Casa Rosada.
Regarding Scioli’s return to Brazil, he opined that “in the talks that he will have had with the president, he will have been able to understand the gesture that he asked him to deepen policies that have the objective of improving the government’s performance.” Furthermore, he clarified that “There is no course to correct, but policies that have to be much more forceful must be deepened”.
support for changes
Another of the officials who continues to be part of the cabinet, the Foreign Minister santiago cafieroalso ruled on the matter and wrote that “the incorporation of Sergio Massa to the President’s cabinet strengthens the government and the link that unites the FdT with the concerns of Argentine men and women. The country needs the responsibility and commitment of all “.
The Chief of Staff, Juan Manzur and the Minister of the Interior, Eduardo “Wado” de Pedro, did not express comments and spent the entire afternoon in the province of Tucumán. The three had been mentioned in previous rumors as some of the candidates to be changed within the cabinet, which ultimately did not happen.
The CGT He also spoke in favor of Massa’s entry, indicating that “we support the positive direction of the changes in the cabinet. We have repeatedly expressed our concern regarding rising inflation that permanently erodes the purchasing power of wages, pensions and social plans.In this sense We know and fully trust the productive and industrial development orientation that comrade Sergio Massa will give to the Argentine economy.“.
The clamor operation
Before the official news of Massa’s incorporation is known –and by way of exerting pressure– Several of the governors who met with Fernández on Wednesday had requested the entrance of the Tigrense with messages on social networks. That was the case of the governor of Entre Ríos, Gustavo Bordet; of Chubut, Mariano Arcionifrom Salta, Gustavo Saenz and from Santa Fe, Omar Perotti. The different figures of the Renovating Front had also spoken in favor, such as the deputy Daniel Arroyo and the president of Arsat, Matias Tombolini, that were added to the request made the day before, among others, by the general secretary of the CTA, Hugo Yasky and the Buenos Aires chief of staff, Martin Insaurralde.
Massa’s replacement in the Chamber of Deputies is not yet resolvedas explained in the official statement launched by the presidency “The new ministry will be in charge of Sergio Massa, as soon as his removal from his bench is resolved”. One of the names that sound to replace him in the ownership of the Chamber is that of the deputy of the same political space, Cecilia Moreau.