“Ready. It was approved. The plane can now leave“Guillermo Francos wrote to Karina Milei on WhatsApp at 11:14 p.m. on Wednesday.
A minute earlier, in Lisandro Catalán’s office, where the Chief of Staff had followed the session on the Bases Law with the phone tied to his hand, he had shouted with the force that unexpected endings awaken when, for a second, the The vote was in favor of the ruling party by 37 votes to 35 due to Natalia Gadano’s error. The subsequent celebration, with Victoria Villarruel’s tie-breaking vote, was less effusive. “Come on, we win”said the eight officials gathered in the ground floor office of the deputy chief of staff. Someone suggested that we should open a whiskey to toast. Cristina, Francos’ wife, is not very affected by politics and long gatherings, I watched the scene with incredulous eyes. The hugs were suddenly for her too, especially for her: she had gone to the Casa Rosada to celebrate her birthday twice and the 15th anniversary of her marriage to the man everyone now called.
In the Quinta de Olivos there was euphoria. Francos’ message to Karina was just a formality, a discharge. The Milei brothers were glued to the TV screen, like millions of Argentines, who were reminded of the definition of Resolution 125. The ratings of the news channels were very high for that day and time.
Six months after the inauguration, the Government obtained its first law. Not the one he wanted (the original project had 664 articles and the sanctioned one, a third), not in the times he would have wanted and making concessions that seemed impossible just a few months ago, when Milei boasted that he could govern without Congress. He understood that it was not and how well he did it: the specter of a great crisis could emerge at any moment. The Executive breathed a sigh of relief. The same as the establishment and the International Monetary Fund.
Milei sent a personal message of gratitude to those who participated in the negotiations and exchanged greetings with representatives from related spaces, such as the PRO. Not so with the vice president, with whom the tension remains. Not a message or a call. Nothing. Neither during the deliberations nor when the incidents broke out that emboldened Kirchnerism to request the suspension of the session nor once the project was approved.
There are those who suspect that, perhaps, his leading role in the definition did not sit well with him, that he was preceded by a short speech. Villarruel was looking forward to that moment. It was speculated that, due to the presidential trip, the session was going to end up being led by Bartolomé Abdala. The defender of the story, Santiago Caputo, would not have disliked him, but Francos asked that Milei make the effort to travel after the vote was taken. He spoke to them about the importance of having Villarruel on such a hot day. The vice saw it coming. On the stand she had a paper with handwritten phrases in case her nerves betrayed her. She passed him. From the Kirchnerist bench they shouted at her that she could not give a speech and that she should hurry up to vote. Some insults even flew. Villarruel chose to read.
Shortly after the approval, and while responding to dozens of messages with stickers and emojis, Milei left for the Jorge Newbery airport. The delegation took off for Italy at three in the morning on the ARG-01 plane, a Boeing 757-256 that had to make a mandatory stopover in Las Palmas. Deputy Fernando Iglesias, one of Milei’s guests at the G-7, took the opportunity to punish Alberto Fernández for the decision to purchase the ship: “I could buy a large plane or a small one, what I couldn’t do was buy a big one and that you have to stop to refuel,” he said. His traveling companions laughed.
Milei stayed up until six in the morning. He spoke with the president of the economic advisory committee, Demian Reidel, with the ambassador to the United States, Gerardo Werthein and with Iglesias. “The way was paved, this is what we needed. The country is moving forward“, He said. Upon arrival, the delegation stayed in Puglia, at the IL Melograno, the first masseria in the area, a 400-year-old colonial house with centuries-old olive trees. The president was still exultant and took selfies with those who asked him. On the outside he feels comfortable and more relaxed.
During the tour he spoke with presidents, businessmen, ambassadors and with the head of the IMF, Kristalina Gerorgieva. He emphasized to everyone that it is key for its administration the regulatory security of investments and private property. He assured them that the Base Law will allow the distortions that exist to be corrected.
Gone are the false celebrations for the fall of the law, on February 6, when the Government spoke of the “principle of revelation.” The mere delay in the treatment of the new project – and the parity that appeared in the Upper House due to the vote – caused the market to alter in the last twenty days as had never happened in the mileist era. The achievements of his administration in terms of exchange peace, accumulation of reserves and reduction of country risk had been put into discussion.
In the Ministry of Economy there were moments of tension, despite the fact that Luis Caputo insisted that no risks were being taken. “There is no chance that this will disband, the macro is seriously ordered”he told his most anxious advisors.
The 4.2% that Indec marked for the price increase in May was another of the good news of the week for La Libertad Avanza. Caputo believes that the fight against inflation has already been overcome. “It’s happening,” he repeats. Milei maintains the same. Both estimate, although they will never say it, that in January it will be around 3% and that in 2025 the price increase could be close to 70%. It is the card that Santiago Caputo dreams of to mount the coming campaign.
The Caputos accumulate power. Santiago’s role was enhanced after the departure of Nicolás Posse. The young man monitored what was happening in Congress in tandem with Francos. He also had to be convinced of some modifications.
His uncle, Toto Caputo, is one step away from adding new responsibilities. Milei will leave the process of companies to be privatized in your hands which was part of the package of the Bases Law (eight of the more than 40 original ones remained, among them, AySA and Ferrocarriles), despite the fact that it was said that it was going to be left for the Chief of Staff or for Federico Sturzenegger, who will be created a ministry of modernization or deregulation. Sturzengger and Caputo, who come with differences from the time of Maurico Macri, have entered into dialogue. They must coexist.
The other key event of the week was the renewal of the loan from China. More than anything because of the reserve crisis that would have been uncovered if it did not occur. Between this month and next, 5 billion dollars expired that Sergio Massa’s management had used to try to calm the dollar during the last presidential campaign. Argentina negotiated with Xi Jinping’s regime to pay that amount next year and in installments. And Milei resignedly accepted the invitation to a bilateral summit with the Chinese president. Communism, sometimes, is not so bad. And Milei’s absolute truths can be reconsidered.
After the agreement with China, the Government received other news that it had expected on Thursday. The IMF announced that Argentina had exceeded the goals and that the disbursement of 790 million dollars was safe to face the next debt maturity. “The Chinese and the United States are one heart”they joked near Milei.
The Kirchnerist opposition had a fateful week. Cristina and Máximo Kirchner had worked to ensure that the Bases Law fell. The former president remained online during the entire session in the Senate and displayed her anger the day after on the to the ruling party. Both were candidates on the Frente de Todos list. Cristina and her followers accused them of being traitors.
Cristina experienced the violence in the streets with shock. She called Carlos Castagnetto, Leopoldo Moreau, Luis Basterra, José Luis Pedrini and Eduardo Valdés as soon as she saw that the Police had sprayed them. At least two of them treated her when they were on the way to the Santa Lucía Ophthalmological Hospital.
“That awful -told them-. “They beat us up and on top of that they take the law from us.”
