The brand new Chief of Staff of the Nation, Guillermo Francos received the governor of Neuquén, Rolando Figueroa, this Wednesday at the Casa Rosadaand for the first time he unlocked a commitment financing of works for the province. Shortly after the Bases Law was discussed in the Senate, Javier Milei’s official began a series of approaches with the provinces to seek agreements, although from Neuquén they assured that there were no demands “at all” for the agreement that was signed today.
Figueroa met with Francos for just under an hour. From there he came out with an agreement by which the national government “gives certainty” about the owed works that it will pay for and those that it will not will continue to finance. “We are reactivating works in all regions, prioritizing health, education, security, services and road connectivity,” Figueroa published on his “X” account.
The agreement includes an annex with almost 60 projects that the Nation undertakes to pay the balances owed until June 30 and then transfer them to the province. This list includes the first stage of the North Patagonian Hospitalthe links between the West Neuquén sewage collector, the Rincón de los Sauces hospital, several child development centers, schools, other sanitation and stormwater works and improvements in municipalities.
Another list, however, commits the national government to supporting financing for 13 other works, including the Beltway of Route 40 in Villa La Angostura, the completion of Route 22 between Plottier and Arroyitothe completion of the 242 between Las Lajas and up to Paso Pino Hachado, the Caviahue water treatment plant, the Zapala sewage liquid plant, drinking water for Colonia Nueva Esperanza in Neuquén, among others.
“He didn’t ask for anything,” the government said about the dialogue with Francos, who for the first time unlocked funds (the amount was not yet specified) for public works that the province considered lost. Figueroa requested authorization to go into debt for about 500 million dollars with the intention of using 350 million to reactivate more than 400 paralyzed works.
Bases Law and the vote of Lucila Crexell
Governor Rolando Figueroa does not have his own senators in Congress, so his negotiating power with the Milei government based on legislative initiatives was limited.
He did say that he had the opportunity to write a good part of the Hydrocarbons chapter when it was discussed in Deputies, where Osvaldo Llancafilo (MPN) had a key vote.
In the Senate, he has good ties with Lucila Crexell, who named his bank Comunidad to show alignment with the president, but is not 100% organic to the political front. The senator voted for the opinion of the Bases Law in dissent and Figueroa would have only asked her to support the chapter of Hydrocarbons and the RIGI for the LNG project to come to fruition, in addition to the negative vote for Ganancicas.
