Hugs, tears and optimism at the farewell of Martín Guzmán: “The economy is stronger”

At the start of a hot day in the markets, when the blue dollar rose to a record $ 275 on sale and Silvina Batakis was still meeting Alberto Fernández, Martin Guzmán greeted his team and employees of the Ministry of Economy on Monday morning. The former official he was moved, cried and hugged with his collaborators who came to take a picture with him and thank him for his management.

“It has been a very difficult two and a half years due to the crisis, the pandemic and the war, but the economy is stronger”. said the former Minister of Economy in the library of the Palacio de Hacienda, where from 11:30 a hundred people gathered to greet and take pictures with his former boss. “Batakis is coming, you have to accompany her, she is very good and professional, and you have to help the President”insured.

Guzmán went down to the second floor of the portfolio along with his secretaries and undersecretaries Raúl Rigo (Treasury), Ramiro Tosi (Finance), Roberto Arias (Tax policy), Rodrigo Ruete (Institutional) and Melina Malamacce (Cabinet), among other officials. Except for the representative before the IMF, Sergio Chodos, the majority resigned on Saturday, after slamming the door of Joseph Stiglitz’s disciple, who left the country without a minister of the economy for more than 24 hours.

Just last night the political crisis eased once the appointment of Silvina Batakis was defined, the figure that Cristina Kirchner managed to impose, in her tug-of-war with Sergio Massa and Alberto Fernández. But the team that will accompany the former Minister of Economy during the management of Daniel Scioli in the province of Buenos Aires and the current secretary of the provinces of the Camporista Interior Minister, Eduardo de Pedro, is still unknown.

The employees of the economy are experiencing an atmosphere of uncertainty right now. They were called to work as they do every day, without knowing what the directives are: Guzmán said goodbye and Batakis will take office at 5pm at Casa Rosada. It is also unclear whether the minister will keep part of the outgoing management. We resign so that the minister has the freedom to decide his team “, said a secretary from Guzmán during the farewell.

With 30 years of experience in public management, the official authorized by Cristina, Scioli and the governors was the alternative that emerged last night, after the failed attempts to summon Martín Redrado, Marco Lavagna and Emmanuel Álavarez Agis, who rejected the presidential offer . Redrado, for example, has called for a battery of laws with presidential support. He had no answer.

One of the first challenges for Batakis will be coordinating with the rest of the economic team, especially the head of the Central Bank, Miguel Pesce, on a plan to calm the markets. This Monday they opened with strong demand for dollars in a scenario marked by import restrictions, the exchange rush and the financial crisis affecting bonds.

She will also have to sort out the list of pending tasks that Guzmán has prepared for her, such as delayed tariff segmentation, the Néstor Kirchner pipeline, debt negotiations and the 2023 budget. The official agrees to keep the agreement with the IMF, as Clarín anticipated yesterday, despite the Kirchnerist sectors yesterday asking for a revision of the program.

According to sources in the Economy, the outgoing official is currently in a meeting with the new minister. Guzmán was confined yesterday until 10 pm in the Palacio de Hacienda. The minister spoke this Monday for more than four hours with the president at the Olivos estate, while chants were heard from the field of the Ministry of Economy: “Olé olé olé olé, Martin, Martin”.

SN