The minister Silvina Batakis met at noon this Monday with five governors and with John Manzur. According to the head of the ministers, the official “provided her analysis on the economic situation current”. But the chief of staff, confirming the end of the call, posted a photo that spoke more about the absences: a huge table, in the Ministry of Economywith the guests and a row of empty chairs in the background.
“We had a productive meeting with @sbatakis and the governors of Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Neuquén, Santiago del Estero and Tucumánwho expressed their support to the minister. The objective was to take note of the priorities of each province to promote their development”, commented Manzur through Twitter.
The chief of staff released images of the meeting and specified that the minister “provided her analysis on the current economic situation and the country’s opportunities to continue improving employment and production rates”.
Also, he indicated, they talked about how to improve “growth conditions with stability and inclusion” and about “work together to reduce gaps”.
“In the coming days we will continue to hold meetings of work in which I will accompany the minister @sbatakis with all the provincial leaders, “advanced Manzur, in his role as manager before the governors.
The First meeting of the minister with the governors did not have the expected frame by the Government. At least if you take into account that, despite the expectation generated by the call in the middle of the intern in the front of allthe Pink House The presence of five governors could hardly be assured to visit the official in the Palacio de Hacienda.
Manzur accompanied his Twitter thread with three photographs.
In the protocol photo they are seen Raúl Jalil (Catamarca), Axel Kicillof (Buenos Aires), Manzur and Batakis, Osvaldo Jaldo (Tucuman), Omar Gutierrez (Neuquen) and Gerardo Zamora (Santiago del Estero), in line. In another photo posted by the Chief of Staff, they are seen sitting in a wide table and surrounded by empty chairs. The third was the same situation, from another angle and without that uncomfortable detail, although with the Minister of Economy, from behind.
Another photo of the meeting of Silvina Batakis (from behind) and Juan Manzur, in Economy. Photo Twitter
How the protocol photo was conceived with five governors in “support” for Batakis
It was Manzur himself, organizer of the meeting, who, warned that the framework would not be in accordance with the expectations that had been generated, admitted very early this Monday that the first meeting would be “with the three or four governors” who went to the event at the Bicentennial Museum, where the president Alberto Fernandez announced the start-up of 7 public works planned in the Plan Argentina Grande.
It fell a bit short because, finally, the confirmation of Axel Kicillofbut in any case could not secure the photo that the Government hoped to get to calm the markets.
Raúl Jalil, Axel Kicillof, Juan Manzur, Silvina Batakis, Osvaldo Jaldo, Omar Gutiérrez and Gerardo Zamora. Photo Twitter
The idea was to take advantage of the presence at that act of Kicillof and the other four leaders who gave the present to expand the call. Rodolfo Suarez (from Mendoza), Jorge Captainich (from Chaco) and Gustavo Saenz (from Salta) participated of the presidential announcement virtually.
In the Government they knew that there were other provincial leaders for the City of Buenos Aires and they saw the possibility of setting up the meeting with Batakis so that they would hear first-hand the roadmap that he outlined for the Ministry.
And, above all, to deactivate the concern that they had allowed to transcend from some provinces after hearing it at the first press conference in which, according to a sector of Kirchnerism, the official spoke “to the markets”.
The fear that exists among the leaders is that the funds to the districts will be stopped, which Batakis, as Secretary of Provinces of the Ministry of the Interior of Edward “Wado” of Peter he was in charge of fighting with his now predecessor Martin Guzman. They also expressed their concern about the implementation of the new energy subsidy scheme.
Nevertheless, the negotiations did not prosper. Added to this was the fact that Suárez and Sáenz were at a distance, as was Capitanich, prevented from being present due to a positive Covid. Thus, five governors finally accompanied Manzur to the “work meeting.”
DS