PINAMAR, special envoy-. Gerardo Morales He came to this city to hold meetings with productive sectors and visit the Jujuy stand, which is a few meters from Bunge and Libertador. The governor receives LA NACION during a break in his activity. He anticipates that he will launch his candidacy for president between the end of February and the beginning of March, says that the Frente de Todos is responsible for “Sink the boat” and adds that only Together for Change is a “serious” alternative to replace the current ruling party.
The head of the UCR responds to the criticism of Facundo Manes [había sugerido acuerdos por cargos con Larreta], points against Alfredo Cornejo from Mendoza for “putting the unity in that province at risk” and ensures that those who look favorably on Javier Miley they are naive. “Milei’s role is to ensure that the worst political caste, which is Kirchnerism, continues to rule,” he says.
-Facundo Manes suggested that you had subsumed Larreta and that you were looking for a position. What is your position on that?
-I proposed to Facundo an open internship to settle the candidacy of radicalism and fight for the presidency, which would strengthen the Party and unify us in a proposal that would be radical, that would integrate formulas. In my opinion, we have to achieve integrated formulas, because there has to be a real coalition government, with a government program. He first accepted, we shook hands and then he rejected it. I proposed an open, closed internal, as he wanted. More than accordionists, another category should be added: the leaders who dialogue, who are not in favor of the crack, but do dialogue. Horacio [Rodríguez Larreta] it will be my internal adversary, Patricia too, but I have a very good dialogue with both; I have a good dialogue with Lilita [Carrió]. We are building consensus for a country project.
-Why do you think that Manes rejected your proposal and that this “agreement” suggests, this proposal that you submit to the Pro for charges?
It’s not like he says. He knows it, because I benched him a lot. And I was the only one who fought Larreta when he was the 2021 election. He knows that is not the case. He knows that I really work and that since I took over the presidency of the party what I did was generate a symmetrical relationship with the Pro, because until then we had been the caboose.
-And then why do you think you criticize him?
-Because he falls in the polls, because he is squandering a million votes, which he has not obtained alone. He was removed by the set of radicalism. I think he forgets that there was support for his candidacy that many pushed, including I was one of those who went looking for him and it seems to me that he contributes well to radicalism, nothing more than having to have a collective conception of politics, not so individualistic
-And was it a mistake to go looking for him?
-No, on the contrary, I believe that he has to continue contributing. In my opinion, he would have to contribute more in the province of Buenos Aires, because the election of the province of Buenos Aires has not been won. Axel Kicillof measures well, Diego Santilli measures well. He could measure well, recovering the votes we had, but he is squandering them day by day, so it surprises me that he comes out with these types of indications. For me he is a very important leader. His place is to continue building in the province of Buenos Aires. These are things that happen in politics. We have to close ranks and get along. Do not speak ill of the leaders. Facundo went very wrong against Mauricio. I have had my differences, but attacking Macri trying to generate suspicion does not seem to me, because Mauricio Macri continues to be a great reference. But since it went badly with the attack on Mauricio, now he takes it out on me or with radicalism. I think he has to be calm and keep adding to the team. I, who also have an excellent relationship with Patricia, believe that there is a thought that expresses more the coalition in the center, which is expressed by radicalism, the Civic Coalition and a sector of the Pro, which Horacio precisely leads. So that is what is happening in Together for Change. It is not a matter of charges. Because after so many meetings with Lilita it could be assumed that she is either going to be my vice president or I hers.
-And is it so?
-No [se ríe]I am going to be a candidate for president.
-You talk about closing ranks and in that sense there are provinces with serious conflicts: in Mendoza the Pro threatens a rupture, do you think that Omar De Marchi (Pro) is responsible for that tension?
– Mendoza worries me because I have made it clear in the last meeting of Together for Change that the coalition must be respected there; if not, we will review our membership in Together for Change. The Pro has promised to go inside and respect Cambia Mendoza. with alfredo [Cornejo] I have my differences that I never make public, but he hits me more than the Pro leaders, but there is no problem. I am clear that radicalism will also take care of the territory. Let’s take care of Mendoza. But Alfredo has to contribute, it’s not just De Marchi, it’s the Renewal Front, which is part of Cambia Mendoza, which still responds to Massa, for which he complains about Horacio and me for the alleged dialogue with Massa. The Jujuy Renovation Front stopped being Massista the day Massa became a Kirchnerista. In Mendoza they are still massistas. They do not want to integrate Cambia Mendoza either. And the Civic Coalition also raised questions. Here we all have to contribute. There is a firm decision of the party to support a province that we govern. We are not going to put it at risk, but Alfredo has to make his contribution, because apparently he has not handled the relationship in the province with the allies well. In Jujuy I maintain the Front, but it seems to me that Alfredo has to reflect on how the Front has been managed in Mendoza.
-Do you approve the agreement in Río Negro of the UCR with Weretilneck?
No, we already said no. Nor is the Pro, who has made an agreement with the MPN in Neuquén. In one case due to the action of the Pro and in another due to radicalism, we held a meeting and we have been forceful that they have to respect the national strategy and abide by the decisions. Where there is no agreement for the candidacies there must be open internal ones. And for those who ignore these national directives there will be sanctions and they will not be able to use the acronym of Together for Change either as a political front or as a collector. We have resolved that with Patricia, with Pichetto and Maxi Ferraro.
-You said that in the province of Buenos Aires the election is not guaranteed. Martín Tetaz said that he believes that a political agreement should be made with Milei. What do you think?
I think you have to be careful with mixing. He looks at what happens to the Front of All. People don’t give more. It’s very hot and you’re right. People have a lot of anger with politics. First with the Frente de Todos, because they are responsible for sinking the ship. I think you have to be careful, you have to govern well, and that’s why I propose a coalition and not mix.
-Do not mix with Milei, he says.
-Do not make mixtures that explode on the second day of taking over the government. In truth Milei is placed in Argentine politics for the joy of Kirchnerism. Because his role is for him to continue governing the worst caste in Argentine politics, which is Kirchnerism. Those who see Milei well eat the load of things she says. Milei is there for her to continue ruling Kirchnerism.
-At the time Macri also spoke well of Milei.
-Well, we are a coalition with many referents. And Mauricio is a great reference who has made a great contribution and from there he will continue to make a great contribution. But there are things we don’t share. Here the only political force that can replace the Frente de Todos and govern and get the country out of the failure it is leading us to is Together for Change, there is no other. A single person who has not managed anything in his life… We are talking about running the government, about a president who has character, leadership, experience and management skills. The party in the country has to end. Just as I finished with the mafias and the parallel states in Jujuy and those who should have been imprisoned in the province are in jail, we must put an end to the parallel state and the managers of the parallel state and the mafias that generate insecurity in the Argentina. They are the ones who profit from drugs. In Rosario, in the suburbs, in Córdoba. The problem of insecurity does not have to be solved by the provinces alone. And there has to be a national government that does not have a boss behind it. Proposing an agreement with Milei is a great naivety.
-You knew how to have a good relationship with Alberto Fernández. What happened?
-I had it, until he visited Milagro Sala. I have not spoken to Alberto since then. I invited him many times. On top of that, they discriminate against me. In three years, I was authorized 400 homes with federal national funds. Works stopped me. I am working.
-You take the topic Milagro Sala personally, it seems.
-No. It bothers me that they have made us lose 15 years in Jujuy. We lost European tourism and now we are recovering it. A tourist arriving at the airport to go to Tilcara would take 20 hours because there were power cuts. The mafias in the country have to end. Those tourists never came back.
-And how did they end it?
-With the law, the Constitution. denouncing. I had the firmness to denounce and follow the causes. And show the reality: they stole the money in bags, from the banks and there were 2,500 houses, which were half built but had been fully paid for. They left me a scandal in the province. And there was a parallel government that I ended up with.
-Was the division of powers respected to imprison Milagro Sala?
-I improved the institutional quality. When I took office there were 35 judges to appoint. I set up the Council of the Magistracy, which the previous Court prevented me from doing. In my management they are chosen by background and opposition contest. Of the 27 judges who tried Milagro Sala, 90 percent had been appointed by Peronism. Before I arrived, Peronism ruled for 32 years. 85 percent of Jujuy’s Justice is impregnated by judges appointed by Peronism.
-Then you say that those who sentenced you are judges appointed by Peronism.
-But of course.
-But they condemned her now.
-Clear.
-And why did they change? Why didn’t they try her before?
-They sentenced her because she stole. Before there was a situation of impunity sustained by Governor Fellner. And he managed half the police.
– But then the judges are not also responsible?
-Well, but the judges found conditions for the endorsement of a firm decision to respect independence, to respect them in their decisions.
-So, you say that it was not you who put her in prison.
-The culture of violence and corruption imprisoned her. She is a woman who was always in conflict with criminal law. She is also a great mobster. People died in Jujuy. People who were killed by that violence. Milagro Sala’s mob killed Pato Condorí. All those people talk to farts because they don’t know what we’ve been through.