Unión Por La Patria presidential candidate Sergio Massa gestures during the presidential debate before the second round on November 12, 2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo credit: Luis Robayo – Pool/Getty Images.
The current Minister of Economy of Argentina, Sergio Massa, already said it in an interview with local media: “The problem today is that I wear both hats, that of the presidential campaign and that of management.” This could be seen as a disadvantage or as an opportunity Facts to show what will happen if he stays with the Casa Rosada chair.
However, the data doesn’t seem to help. While the opposition, in the middle of the election campaign, accuses him of using state resources to provide a variety of benefits to the population and the economy, his management of the economic portfolio is weighed down by a sharp year-on-year increase in inflation.
The truth is that Massa has not officially presented his government program since the ruling coalition Unión por la Patria proposed him as presidential candidate. However, public statements provide the guidelines for their plans.
In an interview with LN+, he confirmed that at the end of 2024 he would lift the exchange rate and the various restrictions that exist in Argentina on access and transactions in foreign currency for both individuals and companies. According to him, he expects a favorable environment with low debt maturities, increasing exports and sufficient dollar reserves by then.
Another sensitive issue that has crept into the Argentine election campaign is the war between Israel and Hamas. The official candidate took part in an event organized by the Delegation of Argentine-Israeli Associations (DAIA) to reject “terrorist barbarism” and support Israel. In this context, he stated his position: “If I have the responsibility to govern Argentina on December 10, we will put Hamas on the list of terrorist organizations because we are facing a terrorist attack,” he promised, according to the official news agency . Telam News.
Hours after this announcement, the Argentine Foreign Ministry, which had already condemned Hamas’s multiple attacks on October 7 in southern Israel, simultaneously condemned Israel’s attack on a refugee camp in Gaza. When asked about this situation, Massa stuck to his position on the conflict.
The pillars of Massa’s government plan
Budget balance, trade surplus, competitive exchange rate and development with inclusion are the main axes, he said in a program on the C5N television channel. “What lies ahead is better income distribution, more public education, more investment in universities,” he promised, but with one caveat: “If I can complete the stabilization of the economy.”
At the moment, that hope seems more and more distant every day. After the August primaries, he announced a 22% devaluation of the peso against the dollar, followed by measures to balance the pockets of certain segments of the population, such as the refund of VAT on products in the basic basket and the abolition of the income tax for a large part of workers. The latter, with the added controversy that, according to some critics, this benefit would only be extended to higher earners.
Read more about Sergio Massa’s suggestions here.