A threat of expropriation to curb the bad inflation data.
The Government has already
tried a method twice
so that the agenda and public opinion are not dominated by the high number of increases in the cost of living: demonizing a privatization concessionaire
, possibly foreign.
The first inflation data from Massa's term as Economy Minister was known on September 14.
The former deputy had assumed office in the first days of August.
During that month, inflation was 7% per month.
However, the day this information was disclosed, the Government had prepared a criminal complaint against Abertis, the
concessionaire of Autopistas del Sol.
The Executive Power objects to the renegotiation that this company did with the administration of Mauricio Macri.
And although he had been investigating for a while, the press conference between President Alberto Fernández and the Minister of Public Works, Gabriel Katopodis, was held on September 14.
The same day that the INDEC data was released.
The method was repeated 10 days ago.
Inflation in January was 6%, and the government panicked.
It was on Tuesday, February 14.
During the previous weekend - and even the day before the data was released -
Edesur
had power interruptions for more than 185,000 homes.
A number more than enough for the political wing of the Frente de Todos to come out to request the expropriation of the company and
the removal of the concession.
Wednesday the 15th, which could be a day dominated by inflation that does not go down, ended up having the fate of the owners of Edesur as the protagonists of the day.
The mayors of the southern suburbs,
furious with the distributor
, did not lose any microphone to demand a sanction from Edesur.
Massa met with the directors of the company.
A day earlier, with the cost of living rising at 6% per month, it looked as if rising prices were going to dominate the agenda.
I do not pass.
In Massa's plans is not the expropriation of Autopistas del Sol or Edesur
(owned by the Italian Enel).
The minister intends to show a "friendly" profile for investors.
In addition, there is talk of a change in the review of the goals with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Instead of being quarterly, as now, it will be sought that the review be annual.
In the IMF the most important voice is that of the representatives of the United States.
But both
Spain and Italy have decision-making power
.
Expropriating the assets in Argentina of a flagship company in those countries - such as Abertis in Spain, or Enel in Italy - would not leave European directors with the greatest willingness to accept changes in the country's understanding with the IMF.
Mass knows it.
Four and a half months ago, the Government
filed a lawsuit against Autopistas del Sol and Grupo Concesionario del Oeste
, owned by Abertis.
The national Executive Power argues that the extension of these concessions - agreed in the previous management - has irregularities.
However, the Presidency is preparing to authorize increases in the tolls paid on the Pan-American and Acceso Oeste highways, the two corridors managed by this group.
Abertis, the Spanish company that usually requests reconstitutions of the tolls it charges based on inflation and the conditions that appear in the concession contract.
Official sources confirmed that there will be an increase in tolls, although they did not establish the term.
"It will be close to 100% and it will be in force since March," explained an interlocutor who has dialogues with both (the State and the private sector).
Four months ago, the government filed a lawsuit to annul the Pan-American highway concession.
In turn, he requested the Justice "a precautionary measure so that the National State takes over the management of the North Access."
The Executive obtained authorization to designate a veedor.
The cause did not have any further relevant advances.
With Edesur, the fight has been going on for a long time.
In the pandemic, the mayors began to demand that the concession be interrupted.
On Wednesday, February 15 -one day after the 6% inflation data in January-, the Government made it known that it could expropriate the company.
During the weekend -and even during Monday-, Edesur interrupted the supply to more than 185,000 clients.
The company says that it did it by order of the electrical system, but the State denies it.
Massa urgently called Claudio Cunha and Juan Carlos Blanco, the two highest authorities of Edesur.
There he told them that they would have to pay a fine of $1,000 million and that the customers who suffered cuts would not pay the bill for the month.
A few days earlier, on Monday, the controller of the electricity regulator (Enre) -Walter Martello- had announced an extensive audit on Edesur.
Massa told the company that he was going to name a supervisor for that task.
The curious thing is that there is already a state observer in the distributor.
