Buenos Aires Herald 
In his first public statements since becoming Unión por la Patria’s (Homeland Union) brand-new vice-presidential candidate, Agustín Rossi said today that his running mate, Economy Minister Sergio Massa, has a management capacity “like few people have.”
“He has experience in management and is a known figure who understands the problems of Argentine’s,” said Rossi –who currently serves as Chief of Staff– in an interview with Radio 10 about the Unión por la Patria presidential candidate. “He has a very accurate view of what the way forward is.”
He also said that Massa showed “great generosity” when he took over the Economy ministry in August, which he called —echoing Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner– “a hot potato.”
Minutes before 9:00 pm on Friday, the UxP Massa-Rossi presidential ticket was announced, after a series of negotiations the Chief of Staff said he wasn’t part of. The day before, different Peronist leaders had announced other candidates — namely, Interior Minister Eduardo “Wado” De Pedro and Ambassador to Brazil Daniel Scioli, both of whom have since then withdrawn their candidacies.
“The [coalition’s] dynamics called for a ticket everyone could agree upon, with comrades like [Eduardo] Wado De Pedro, Daniel Scioli, and Juan Manzur [who would have been De Pedro’s running mate] showing a very generous attitude,” Rossi said. “This shows the enormous amount of responsibility we have in these hours.”
Rossi, however, said that even with De Pedro out of the race, Kirchnerism – the center-left faction of Unión por la Patria – will be represented on the ticket. “I am a kirchnerista,” he said. “I have always defined myself as one.”
Massa also made his first public statement since the ticket was announced last night, thanking De Pedro for withdrawing his candidacy. “Thank you, dear Wadito,” he tweeted Saturday afternoon. “For your effort and unity, even when you were facing your own challenge. I wish every comrade learns about the effort you made. [We are] united for our homeland!”
Moving forward
Rossi said he sees “no problem” with both him and Massa staying on as Chief of Staff and Economy Minister, respectively, during the campaign. “When you have management responsibilities, you speak from that place. Sergio as Economy minister and I as Chief of Staff communicate from positions of management, I don’t see any inconveniences,” he said.
The Chief of Staff also said that Unión por la Patria will be a “competitive” coalition in the elections. “We can offer Argentine people a future,” he said. According to Rossi, opposition leaders “lie” when they say that the next few years are going to be difficult, as he considered that the country’s economic cycle “is starting to change for the better” and will continue to improve now that the historic drought is over and once the Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline is fully operational.
“Next year, we will have a good year trade balance-wise. With international reserves in the Central Bank, we will be able to adequately manage the exchange rate, lower inflation, and generate a growth process with income distribution,” he said.
According to Rossi, Argentines face a “dilemma,” having to decide whether “prosperity remains in the hands of a few or is distributed throughout society as a whole.”
“Opposition leaders are saying that the first thing they will do if they win the elections is a strong devaluation. What they are offering is more inflation, more poverty, more destitution,” he said. “We do not want that.”
