Buenos Aires, February 14 (RHC)-- Argentina's social movements, political parties and unions have marched to protest against the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has a delegation in Buenos Aires to review the country's public accounts to renegotiate the external debt with President Alberto Fernandez.
"We support the negotiations with the warning that we are not willing to pay the debt with hunger and unemployment," the Union of Workers of the Popular Economy (UTEP) President Esteban Castro said. He also explained that the IMF is responsible for Argentina's huge foreign debt because it lent former president Mauricio Macri "unviable amounts" at a time when there was no production.
In Buenos Aires, marches moved towards the Plaza de Mayo and the National Congress where the Economy Minister Martin Guzman explained the current situation of Argentine indebtedness. Among the organizations that called for demonstrations are the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), the Autonomous Central of Argentinean Workers (CTA), the National Federation of University Professors (Conadu), the Communist Party, and the Territorial Liberation Movement (MTL).
“The Fund may change its officers but its nature will never change. Their loans and programs have always been a tool to dominate and subordinate the nations,” CTG spokesperson Juan Carlos Schmid said and added that the mobilizations will have the slogan“ Debt is with people.”
In a press conference held earlier this week, CTA leaders Ricardo Peidro and the National Bank director Claudio Lozano requested that the uses of Argentina's external debt be thoroughly investigated.
Currently, there are indications that the Macri administration (2015-2019) would have committed crimes related to the breach of functions and abuse of authority in contracting debt. In that sense, for instance, Lozano is promoting a criminal complaint against former Finance Minister Nicolas Dujovne.
