2023-11-13 13:49:13
Argentina’s presidential debate began this Sunday with a heated back-and-forth in which the libertarian Javier Milei confirmed that he will dollarize the economy and close the Central Bank, while his rival, the ruling party Sergio Massa, launched constant consultations about his economic proposals.
During the first axis dedicated to the economy, the candidate of Unión por la Patria (Peronism) challenged the libertarian to answer “yes or no” if he will eliminate subsidies, dollarize the Argentine economy, end the Central Bank and privatize “rivers.” and seas” at the same time as the Vaca Muerta site.
Despite the fact that the leader of La Libertad Avanza treated him as a “liar” and warned him that he was not going to “condition” him with his answers and confirmed that he will remove the monetary authority.
“Think that if we had convertibility we would have an average income of 1,800 dollars and not this misery that we have today. Yes, I am going to eliminate the Central Bank because it is what generates inflation. And I said that I am not going to touch the subsidies,” Milei responded, annoyed.
He added that he will not touch rate subsidies (on services such as transportation or electricity that currently allow lower prices), because it will allow “the economy to recover and when the economy recovers they will be able to pay those rates.”
For his part, Massa rhetorically asked his opponent if “he lied throughout the campaign or is lying tonight” and insisted on the question: “Are you going to dollarize the economy or not?”
To which the liberal replied: “Yes, we are going to dollarize the economy, we are going to close the Central Bank and end the cancer of inflation.”
Javier Milei was the candidate with the most votes in the party primaries in August.
Currently, Argentina is facing a socioeconomic crisis with year-on-year inflation of 138.3% and poverty of 40.1%, to which are added constant exchange rate attacks due to the fragility of its currency with respect to the US dollar.
Finally, he took the opportunity to include -although negatively- former president Mauricio Macri (2015-2019), who gave him his support in this second round, in his responses: “You blew our income, with you as Minister of Economy it fell 33% income, which had already been falling with Macri.”
Massa picked up the gauntlet and recalled that countries like Zimbabwe have dollarized their economy and the Federated States of Micronesia in Oceania have eliminated their central banks.
“Argentina’s exit is with an increase in exports, with the 40,000 million dollars more that we are going to export next year, construction of work on the basis of better income and with an agreement of national unity that allows us to reduce the system of taxes including withholdings,” Massa added.
Finally, the Peronist affirmed the need to rediscuss the program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which he considered “inflationary”, as well as increase exports to be able to accumulate reserves to pay the financial entity.
The candidate for president and winner of the first round in the presidential elections, Sergio Massa.
Likewise, the official candidate for the Argentine Presidency, Sergio Massa, said this Sunday that he seeks to “definitively bury the political rift” that exists in the country, while his opponent, the libertarian Javier Milei, asked the population to vote “without fear.” because it paralyzes.”
At the closing of the pre-electoral debate with a view to the November 19 runoff, held this Sunday at the Faculty of Law of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), both candidates were consulted by the moderators about why they want to preside over Argentina.
The current Minister of Economy repeated the idea of forming a “unity government”, with a program of 10 State policies, and promised those who will not vote for him out of conviction, “but as a vehicle to not choose a path that is violence, that it is hatred, that it is harm”, that he will work “so that they do not feel that they threw away their vote.
For his part, the ultra deputy highlighted that this is “the most important election of the last 100 years” because Argentina must ask itself if it wants to continue “traveling this decadent path” and “sustain this parasitic, stupid and useless caste”; For this reason, he asked “to vote without fear because fear paralyzes and benefits the ‘status quo’.”
Massa and Milei starred in the last pre-electoral debate with a view to the runoff to be held on November 19, which will produce the next president of Argentina, who will begin his Government on December 10.
EFE
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