Ecce homo (English Version)

As in that condemnatory biblical passage in which Pontius Pilate introduces Jesus to the multitude as a convict in the Praetorium, similarly, President Alberto Fernández pointed out the figure that will have the challenge of changing the direction of his administration: “ecce homo” – i.e: this is the man.

This is how the Governor of Tucuman appealed to his medical knowledge to end the pandemic, accompanied by his colleague, the Health Minister, Carla Vizzotti. The citizens started wondering about the use of face masks as the opposition convoked its main figures to a meeting to remind us all that only ten days ago they had won the primary elections.

It happened just like journalist Diego Genoud explained the weekend before: the government’s defeat made them replace their inexperienced, brand new figures players for experienced ones and also to leave aside any prioritization of female quota in the cabinet and in the inclusive dialectic. The gesture of the splendid Minister of Education during his oath of putting aside the Holy Bible during this oath called the attention of many, but the fact that all men –dressed up in sober, dark suits and ties– having sworn by “God, the Fatherland and on these holy Gospels” was ignored. Yet, the protocol prevailed, suggesting a sign of respect for ceremony and the responsibility that the oath of new Ministers implies for the administration, but for the whole country.

With prodigal attitude, the Chosen one worked to announce the rise of the income’s tax floor for employers and the decrease of the scale for autonomous workers, and also called out to the Salary Council to increase the minimum basis of the basic salary on 52.7% points. We could say that a kind of biblical multiplication of bread and fish took place in Argentina during the last days, as long as the recently appointed Minister Julián Dominguez does not get to restore the health in the meat market.

“They have been throwing money from the sky”, as some figures of the Conurbano said. It will be essential to know if all of this is enough. Anyway, the Province is already planning to deliver classes on Saturday. Apparently, they did not spare themselves the self-criticism and are deeply reverting all the causes that conducted to the electoral defeat. The ignored claim for in-person classes was clearly reflected on the people’s votes during the primaries.

The temblor carried on. Governor Kicillof replaced three Ministers in order to appoint two Mayors and a figure from Peronism who will perform with a national scope. Furthermore, the office of the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, in charge of Martín Insaurralde, appears more like an intervention kind of move, than a replacement.

The Chancellor was not able to get his way either. Santiago Cafiero had taken the Vice-chief of the Cabinet of Ministers to occupy Jorge Neme’s position and her namesake Nicolini to replace the Secretary of Foreign Relations. But somebody gave him a smack and seemed to have told him that, for improvised ones, it was already enough with his designation, and that embassador Pablo Tetamant stayed as Vice-chancellor. For his part, the executive Neme ended up as the Vice-chief, under his former boss in Tucumán.

What Manzur could not solve was his internal political conflict in Tucumán. They were able to find the formula for the license to be assumed by the Vice Governor, Osvaldo Jaldo, a man who comes from the kirchnerismo. As we mentioned the day after the primaries, one of the main aspects of the sounding triumph of the Tucuman governor at that time was to double in votes to his internal enemy, who now, instead of disappearing, emerges and achieves something that surpasses whatever he was trying to plan with his election.

Many assure that the Vice President Cristina Kirchner emerges as a winner out of this political. In Jaldo´s case, it could be. But it must be remembered that the people who follow her have not had a good performance on the ballots and that some of the new cabinet appointments, although some have been members of her administrations, are still Peronists.During the recent political and ministerial crisis, she tried to send some messages that can reflect the kick off of a peronization process, such as removing her surname Fernández out of her Twitter user. The Kirchner surname is not related to Cristina Kirchner, and, even more, the vindication of Kirchnerism is usually used as a differentiation from the vice- presidential collective. On the other hand, it seems that she prefers not to see what is going to happen to her and that the loss of space in the political spectrum seems meaningless compared to what can really happen if they government is defeated in 2023. And so with this movements, she, as her therapist would say, has let go. This newsletter ventures that her presence will fastly decrease.

Still, the winner has been the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers who, after those generous decisions, was smart enough to bring the cabinet together to his new place, the Casa Rosada, and even did without any presidential tutelage, as Alberto Fernandez stays now longer in Olivos.

This is the beginning of the transition. +)

The quote

“The way in which Argentina solves its relation with the IMF will be a powerful sign to those emerging markets that are going through serious economic crisis […] we have actively involved in trying to build a bilateral relation with Argentina, as well as in helping to facilitate conversations with the IMF”.

Juan González

Director of the Western Hemisphere of the US Department of State in an interview with the Americas Quaterly podcast.

The character

Julián Domínguez´s executive and dialogue stamp will try to throw cold cloths on the overheated humid pampas and offer some loving caress to the provinces that need to revive their regional economies. The number of errors and mistreatment suffered by people from Santa Fe, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Pampas and Entre Rios, mainly, sounded loud in the dark room. As a special agent, Domínguez will have to deactivate Kirchnerism´s explosive relationship with the countryside once again by cutting the cable that activates the meat export stocks in order to start managing agricultural policy.