Javier Milei hates and tries to stay away from everything that is related to political wheeling and dealing. But this week he understood that he had to get involved, calling deputies, given the failure of his interlocutors and to gain time against a Mauricio Macri who insists on coordinating actions with the government. All this while the presidential entourage continues to resist possible understandings with the leader of the PRO.
Those close to the head of state told PERFIL that the economist’s decision to call the members of the lower house most inclined to dialogue with his government to the Casa Rosada was his own. And under the need to “explain the direction of the administration,” with precise numbers on the fiscal adjustment he has undertaken since December 10 and giving the reasons why he will veto the bill on pension mobility approved by Parliament.
They also make it clear that there is no direct criticism of the men who have the task of being interlocutors with the opposition, although they recognize that everything that happened in recent weeks had an impact on the head of state. First, with the wounds left by the three parliamentary defeats (the formation of the Bicameral Intelligence Committee, the rejection in the House of Representatives of the DNU that validates reserved expenses for the SIDE and the approval of the retirement mobility project in the Upper House), up to what he went through with his troops in Congress, totally out of control, a situation that ended with the departures of the deputy Lourdes Arrieta and the senator Francisco Paoltroni, with scandals included.
Authoritarians don’t like this.
The practice of professional and critical journalism is a fundamental pillar of democracy. That is why it bothers those who believe they are the owners of the truth.
The scene of chaos was conducive for Mauricio Macri to get back into action, with a meeting alone in Olivos that included demands for understandings at different levels, such as at the parliamentary level, and with discussion tables that include governors and mayors. A scenario, and the economist is aware of this, that will take time and conversations, with one detail that is not at all minor and that will be difficult for Milei to overcome: his entourage continues to resist agreements with the PRO in its own way.
Those who move under the shadow of Karina Milei, the general secretary of the Presidency, a list that includes Martín Menem, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, and Gabriel Bornoroni, the head of the Deputies bloc, have always rejected a pact with the yellow force, because they know that the places they currently hold in the lower house are at risk. Meanwhile, Eduardo “Lule” Menem, Karina’s right-hand man, never managed to have rapport in his interventions with the yellow sector. And criticism from one side and the other was always the order of the day, with a Macri who complained about the leadership in the lower house.
Bornorini came out with his guns blazing and reflected how Karinism is facing the possibility of establishing an understanding with the PRO, with a direct shot at Macrism. Through X, the legislator mentioned: “There are some who say that you have to know how to lead Congress. They are the same ones who did not know how to lead the Executive when they had their opportunity.”
Other important actors in La Libertad Avanza are moving in that direction and are asking Macri to start making important decisions. “Some day he will have to decide, either he supports the change or he is on the side of the extortionist opposition,” they say defiantly in the halls of Balcarce 50. Throughout the week, they also expressed that the former president was in charge of “operating” journalistic versions regarding movements of the SIDE against him.
In this context, the possibility of forming an interbloc between LLA and PRO is remote. At least, the ruling party says that previous steps must be taken, an elegant way of delaying time.
What do they point out? That the opposition is not making progress in stopping the veto of the pension mobility initiative, that they are not supporting projects that complicate the fiscal deficit pursued by the official administration and that there is strong support for the 2025 budget. “We had three goals against us, so they owe us three victories,” they specify on the side of the head of state. If these points are respected, Milei’s side emphasizes that the doors would be opened to other talks, especially looking at the electoral calendar for next year.
“It is natural that all those who want change will come together and a sector of the opposition must see it: if they do not support what we propose, if we are divided, they will end up losing deputies and senators,” underlines a close collaborator of the head of state.
The truth is that Milei should have been at the forefront of the political dialogue. “He hates politicians, not politics,” his entourage clarifies to explain this new role of the head of state. However, for this he trusts Karina Milei, in charge of advancing the party structure. She does not like politics either, but she understands that someone has to do it. Yesterday she participated in the meeting with the President.
The path
◆ The PRO showed the Government that it has the numbers to make things difficult. It rejected the DNU of funds for the SIDE and collaborated in the sanction of the pension reform.
◆ Now the goal is to coordinate common projects and, above all, to ensure that they do not affect the goal of zero deficit.
◆ The possibility of moving towards an interblock will be left for later.
◆ Milei’s request that the veto on pension reform not be stopped.
2024-08-31 03:26:12