Alejandro Sánchez suggests "nationalizing" AFAPS, sparking criticism from the ruling party.
The two main ruling party candidates, Álvaro Delgado and Andrés Ojeda, held press conferences yesterday to warn the public about the remarks made by Broad Front Senator Alejandro Sánchez, of the MPP (Mexican People's Party), about the future of the AFAPs (Association of Pensioners and Pension Funds).
Sánchez, who is also Yamandú Orsi's campaign manager, had already been criticized Tuesday by the President of the Republic and leaders of the governing coalition for his statements that morning in an interview on El Espectador radio, although the MPP senator later clarified that it had been "ironic."
This Wednesday morning, Sánchez addressed the issue again, speaking to a group of journalists. On this occasion, he provided further explanation for his initial comment but acknowledged that the expression he used "was not a happy one."
"What a mess it was," Sánchez added, acknowledging that he made a mistake by referring to the issue in that way. “I made a reference to a topic that needs to be discussed: how we incorporate incentives into a three-pillar system. The BPS collects the money, passes it on to the AFAP (Association of Public Administrations), the AFAP crosses the street and buys public debt, charges you early and at very high rates. And then, when it's time to pay pensions, it's gone; the State returns. I wanted to say this in the context of awakening and the fact that the system isn't working entirely well,” argued the Frente Amplio member.
Colorado candidate Andrés Ojeda considered Sánchez's statements to be one of the "most populist" proposals of this electoral campaign.
In a press conference yesterday at noon, Ojeda said that Sánchez “proposed it seriously and then tried to backtrack in flip-flops,” and, referring to the video that went viral earlier, stated that he “doesn't believe” his remarks were ironic.
“It seems to us that he had a lapse of sincerity and a lapse of Chavismo with the most populist proposal we've seen in the entire electoral campaign.”
Nationalist candidate Álvaro Delgado, meanwhile, asserted that these statements by Senator Alejandro Sánchez show that the Broad Front (FA) has "a Plan B" to modify the retirement and pension system if the ballot promoted by the PIT-CNT is not approved.
Speaking at a press conference accompanied by Luis Alberto Heber, Javier García, Beatriz Argimón, and Diego Labat, who is reported to be his Minister of Economy, Delgado linked this position by Senator Sánchez to the fact that the FA has granted him freedom of action regarding this plebiscite.
"Yesterday and today, I think it became clear why the Broad Front hasn't spoken out on this issue. It's because they have an alternative, they have a Plan B, and they have a Plan B not in case this plebiscite is successful; in reality, Plan B is in case the plebiscite doesn't happen. And yesterday it became clear when they talked about nationalization; in fact, it ends up expropriating people's savings, the savings of people invested in the AFAPs."
The Thursday Roundtable with Pablo Díaz, Gabriel Mazzarovich, Gloria Robaina, and Esteban Valenti.
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