Andrés Lerner 
Patricia Bullrich, who is running for the right-wing Propuesta Republicana (PRO)’s presidential nomination, faced a trial of fire on Monday when she presented her economic plan to the Llao Llao forum ahead of the 2023 elections.
The former security minister’s presentation was watched closely by the “Red Circle” of top business leaders.
Bullrich revealed her economic “vision” regarding the upcoming elections if she is voted president, focusing on a program to reduce inflation, the dollar, and legal reforms.
The PRO figurehead was accompanied by her economic team, Luciano Laspina and Damián Arabia.
The luxurious Llao Llao Hotel sits between lakes Nahuel Huapi and Moreno. It is owned by the business group IRSA, whose owner, Eduardo Elsztain, decided over a decade ago to gather a group of business representatives to debate topics that go beyond the day-to-day and take a long view.
“The concept that will rein in our government is the concept of order. Economic order. Order to face the challenges against drug trafficking and people’s safety,” Bullrich said as the main axes of her leadership proposal.
She also emphasized another slogan, referring to the current foreign exchange regime and economic model as a “total failure”.
Dollar and inflation
She then began to outline her thoughts for the future, saying: “We will demolish the economic regime of the past 20 years, which has drastically reduced incentives to invest, export and create employment.
“To this end, we will promote reforms that change economic incentives, restore fiscal solvency and gradually rebuild credibility”, she told business leaders.
When asked by the attendees of the forum, Bullrich claimed that, if elected president, she would eliminate exchange restrictions and proposed a “tax decontamination”.
Her rural policy would involve the progressive elimination of export duties.
“My path and that of 46 million Argentines is the same: to face one by one the challenges to change the regime that oppresses us and transform Argentina,” she said.
Speaking of a potential victory at the ballot boxes, she added: “This Argentina that is coming will not be solved only with management. It will be solved with leadership, with firmness, courage and character. The concept that will govern our government will be the concept of order.”
Bullrich’s key proposals to business leaders at Llao Llao:
- “Demolishing” the economic regime of the past 20 years
- “If we don’t dynamite the regime of interests, in four years we’ll be repeating the same thing”
- Leaving foreign currency controls “from day one”
- “Legal and regulatory decontamination”: revision of 3,600 laws, changes and legal reforms in key security and employment laws
- A firm hand: end blockades and pickets to enforce “the rule of law”.
- “Where there’s no rule of law, order must be established”
- Removal of export duties from the agricultural sector
- Control of the political situation
Bullrich was the first of the presidential figures of Juntos por el Cambio (JxC) to announce the guidelines of her economic plan. There will be further presentations from the summit this Tuesday.
At midday, Libertad Avanza candidate Javier Milei is expected to present his proposals to the business leaders. In the afternoon, the UCR candidate, Gerardo Morales, will make a presentation. In the evening, it will be the turn of Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, head of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires.
