Ignacio Ortelli
10/22/2020 7:27 PM
Clarín.com
Politics
Updated 10/22/2020 7:27 PM
"
We need ten more Katos
."
In the ring of officials of greater confidence that surrounds
Alberto Fernández
there is a phrase that is repeated every time that alludes to the criticism that from the outside - and not so much - of the Government the ministers receive.
It is not a question of affinity: the mention of the Minister of Public Works,
Gabriel Katopodis
, It has to do with its high level of budget execution - close to 70 percent, with an expansion included - and the homogeneous work team that it drew up in a new ministry and despite the impact on the operational functioning that the pandemic left.
And because of the predisposition of the former mayor of San Martín to become a defender of the Government on all issues in the media.
This ability to “react to adversity” that stands out, however, exposes the questions that exist in other areas.
Despite everything, the President assures that he is determined not to make changes and to keep the same team
.
This implies supporting ministers whom he considers key, such as Martín Guzmán, who, as a result of the anomie in economic decision-making, had been hit, and also giving a new opportunity to other questioned figures, such as
María Eugenia Bielsa
(Territorial Development and Habitat ) and the head of the Central Bank,
Miguel Pesce
.
At a time of internal fragility and strong internal tensions within the ruling coalition, the message delivered by the President, together with the Chief of Staff,
Santiago Cafiero
;
to all it is simple, but forceful: "
We need more action
".
In the empowerment of Guzmán there is also an implicit self-criticism of the President: it was he who took Pesce's advice, to tighten the stocks, despite the resistance of the Minister of Economy who had come to reach the agreement with the bondholders and was betting that the trickle of dollars stopped without imposing more restrictions, with a strategy of confidence.
With the result in place, a greater volatility in the markets, Alberto F. did not take long to understand the error.
Hence, he has defined, as they explain close to him, the need for there to be "a single economic partner".
"This is more from (Miguel) Pesce than from Martín (Guzmán)," they summarize.
Pesce is still in the crosshairs.
He has been questioned by hard Kirchnerism since that Friday in April, when in the middle of a hard quarantine and due to a bad organization of the Central Bank, millions of retirees crowded at the doors of banks to collect their salaries, exposing themselves to contagion.
This earned Alejandro Vanoli the position in the ANSeS, but Pesce managed to disengage from responsibilities.
On Monday night, with Guzmán's re-empowerment process already underway and after the shock he received from the minister who described the exchange rate measures adopted for his insistence on September 15 as "harmful", Pesce had a long meeting with his friend President.
The balance, going forward is clear: his work will be technical and there will be no more power disputes.
"From now on, the decisions will all be made by Guzmán," repeat those who frequent the president.
This does not imply that Pesce is leaving his position.
“It depends more on how much he wants to stay than on Alberto F.”, they complete.
Different is the situation of Bielsa
.
The head of state asked him for more initiative in the management twice, but the level of execution of his ministry remains very low and the reproaches of governors and pro-government and opposition mayors, without partisan distinction, accumulate.
"We do not rule out anything",
they stop from the environment of the head of state, who next week will flank the minister anyway: "We are leaving everything to start", they slip, with irony. End of the year, with the numbers already Consolidated Budget will be a key date in this regard.For now, the name of
a suburban mayor as his possible replacement is
already beginning to sound
.
The case of the Secretary of Strategic Affairs, Gustavo Beliz, is atypical.
A cultist of low profile, in the last hours he surprised by breaking the silence in an act with the President.
Targeted by Kirchnerism, Fernández made sure there to make it clear that the million-dollar investments that Kuwait decided to maintain were the product of their negotiations.
But it's not all about management.
As
Clarín said
days ago, the officials received the request to dispute the media terrain of the opposition and "not let one" pass the hard wing of Juntos por el Cambio.
The Venezuela affair, in which Carlos Raimundi and Alicia Castro defied the President, generated reproaches to Foreign Minister Felipe Solá for not resolving the media discussion faster.
Something similar happens around the already daily controversies about Justice (Marcela Losardo) and Security (Sabina Frederic).
This implies not only a proactivity that up to now the ministers, with few exceptions, have not had in the media: it
includes a review in the communication teams
.
In the Casa Rosada they do not hide their annoyance with spokespersons for ministers who "are not on the agenda" and on current issues. "If their bosses do not want to answer, it is a political decision. But they have to be aware of everything that is said and respond with information if there are errors," they point out from the communication area. They aim to deactivate arguments from the opposition, but also from the journalists who replicate them.
