Martín Guzmán, Kirchnerism and the ghost of Lavagna in 2005

In November 2005, Roberto Lavagna left the position of Minister of Economy after participating in a meeting with businessmen in Mar del Plata. This is at the IDEA Colloquium. Néstor Kirchner, who won legislative elections last month, disliked his minister’s resignation, because of his condemnation of the cartelization of public works. Much less, for participation in a conference in which the audience criticized the rising rate of inflation, which for the first time in three years crossed the two-digit barrier..

The red thread between that tour of Lavagna and the minister’s passage at this time (today he will be with the oil traders, tomorrow with Marcos Galperín and next week with Daniel Funes de Rioja, all critic of the Government), is that K’s dissatisfaction with Guzmán is directly proportional to the image of autonomy displayed by his officials and how it is an obstacle to the aging of power. Lavagna was attacked before he was left by officers close to Néstor Kirchner and to Guzmán now something similar is seen.

Lavagna left and was with him, for many, perhaps the last Minister of Economy regardless of the President’s standards to date. It was also the beginning of the era of atomization in the conduct of the economy in the country, something that continued during the period of outstanding Kirchnerism and Macrismo, and the country paid a huge cost: the deterioration of the macroeconomic balance and the rising uncertainty.

What does Kirchnerism assume will happen to the economy if the current minister is transferred? How will you improve and why?

Guzmán runs at a disadvantage compared to Lavagna. The former minister has shut down debt swaps and a plan with the IMF, as has his successor. But the economy is growing at Chinese rates and creating jobs. Kirchnerism prevailed in the 2005 legislative elections. Now, on the other hand, Kirchnerism has lost the legislative election and is accusing Guzmán.