With his tour of Spain and Germany, the head of the Buenos Aires government, Horacio Rodriguez Larretasought to gain momentum to become a presidential candidate and consolidate his project to fight for the succession of Alberto Fernandez in 2023. With more than a year to go before the elections, the mayor tried to take steps towards the Casa Rosada with a strong message for the inmate of Together for Change: He said that, in case of returning to power, the opposition coalition will have to “do something different in the economy.”
“It is not that the Macri government brought inflation to 50%, it is a problem that we have had for 70 years. In any case, he couldn’t fix it. Obviously we have to do something different economically. We need a development plan that increases exports so as not to strangle the balance of payments. We are working on that, ”said Larreta in an extensive interview that he gave to the newspaper The countryfrom Spain, during his visit to Madrid.
Although he remained cautious when giving his opinion on Macri’s political future and highlighted the “policy of reinsertion of Argentina” in the world in the management of Cambiemos, the Buenos Aires chief sought to differentiate himself from the founder of Pro with a series of definitions : said that the next government should “build a broad consensus to build the future of the country.”
“We need 70% support for a plan. What is enough to win the election, 51%, is not enough for deep transformations. We need a broader consensus.”, he pointed. And he insisted that the country needs to agree on a comprehensive long-term program.
“The way Mauricio arrived, somewhat unexpectedly, about the end [por solo tres puntos de diferencia con el peronismo] made it very difficult. Today we have to build a broader coalition. Like Spain, when it came out of the dictatorship, it had 25 or 30 years of stability, governments changed and policy changes were subtle. That is what we need in Argentina, a plan that we sustain for 20 or 30 years, whoever is the president,” Larreta stressed.
For the Buenos Aires chief, the commitment to build a broad space to govern implies a “self-criticism” of the management of Cambiemos. “The search to form a broader coalition is a self-criticism in itself, because it was not done before. I do this in the city, in the last elections we made a coalition from [el diputado José Luis] Espert, who today represents the right, even socialism, everyone inside”he highlighted.
Larreta differs with Macri on a vital point when designing the future profile of Together for Change: he understands that the presidential election “is won in the center”, not at the extremes. “For me it is the challenge, to build that broad coalition that is something different from what was done in 2015. I have always defended this position and I am consistent”, said the mayor, who resumed his international agenda this week and met with his peers from Hannover, Berlin and Madrid.
During his tour, he garnered support for his presidential run. The day before yesterday, after a meeting with the mayor of Buenos Aires, the president of the community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, hoped that Larreta’s policies “spread throughout Argentina.” In Uspallata they celebrated the gesture as a goal.
On the ideological plane, Larreta defined himself as a “developmentalist”. He noted that he has a “very practical view of things”which considers that the State “You have to get the leg out of the head of those who produce” and “unleash the forces of entrepreneurial energy in Argentina.” Likewise, he said that he is committed to a federal country, since, he maintained, “power is highly concentrated in Buenos Aires”.
“I think we have to make an aggressive policy of insertion into the world, we are one of the countries with the least trade in the world,” he ventured.
In turn, the Buenos Aires chief stressed that his management promoted “a very strong policy of social inclusion” in the port towns. “It is the example of what I think should be done with the humble areas of the country,” he pointed out.
Attentive to the internal Pro and the tensions that the race to the Casa Rosada generates in Together for Change, Larreta avoided confirming that he intends to run for the presidency in 2023. Moreover, He maintained that “today” he cannot imagine facing Macri in a STEP.
“Mauricio also did not express his desire to be a candidate. He is in the right of him. I have worked with him for 20 years, I respect him a lot, as president he did very good things, for example the policy of reintegration of Argentina in the world, the Spanish businessmen told me at lunch. Neither of us clearly expressed a vocation to be candidates, ”he detailed.
And, as Macri repeats, the Buenos Aires chief ratified that the leaders of Together for Change who aspire to reach the presidency must compete in the PASO. “If he wants, he can be a candidate. But he did not express it. Neither do I. The candidates will leave the PASO [las primarias]. That goes for everyone. It is the healthiest”commented Larreta in the interview with El País.
Although he admitted that the country’s economy is going through a delicate situation, Larreta was optimistic about the future. It is clear that he was speaking to possible investors: “I have no doubt about the viability of Argentina in the long term,” he said. And he added: “We have natural resources, one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the world, we have lithium, which is a mineral of the future, a very long coastline to exploit, highly qualified human capital: Argentine unicorns continue to appear, in Latin America we are the country that most have”.
For Larreta, the change in the international scene due to the war between Russia and Ukraine creates an “opportunity” for Argentina. “We have to go out and take over markets, now we have a government that last year prohibited the export of meat,” he lamented.
Larreta also harshly criticized the government of Alberto Fernandez. He said that in the administration of the Front of All “there is no plan, direction or vision of the future.” And he noted: “Without a plan, it is difficult to foresee what is coming. Also for Spanish or international businessmen, and Argentines. That’s why they don’t invest. The president announces a plan against inflation that has nothing.
In this context, he highlighted that the President managed to avoid the default with the IMF due to the debt thanks to the support of Together for Change in Congress. He considered that the opposition acted “very responsibly” to prevent a social outbreak, but warned that they do not subscribe to the economic program that the Government agreed with the IMF because it does not contain “fundamental solutions.”
“We vote so that Argentina does not fall into default. We are all clear about the precedent of 2001, poverty went to 60%. That is why we support it,” he argued. And he lashed out Cristina Kirchner and La Cámpora for their rejection of the deal with the Fund: “Kirchnerism voted against the agreement or did not vote, they would have sent Argentina to default”He launched.
Finally, Larreta said that the debt that Macri contracted, in 2018, for 45,000 million dollars “is payable” if “Argentina grows.” “If not, there is no negotiation worth it”, concluded.