Alex Contreras: comings and goings of the minister to stay in the MEF

“I give you an off-the-record scoop: I am submitting my resignation at this time.. Petroperu and lack of transparency in some decisions. Yesterday was a complicated CdM (Council of Ministers),” read the WhatsApp message sent by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alex Contreras, to La República.

The official’s words, sent minutes before 8:30 am, gave strength to the rumors of his distancing from the MEF, considering that on Wednesday, January 3, after the session of the Council of Ministers – the first of the year – the Chairwoman Dina Boluarte He held a meeting with former ministers Luis Carranza and José Arista for almost three hours. However, nine hours later, the minister’s speech was different.

The reasons why Contreras wanted to leave

At Wednesday’s meeting, the president summoned Carranza—twice Minister of Alan Garcia and linked to the Odebrecht corruption case—to replace Contreras (according to palace sources); However, he rejected the proposal and suggested Arista, who was in charge of this portfolio for a week during the de facto government of Manuel Merino de Lama.

The cornerstone of this miniseries was the – now frustrated – dismissal of José Chávez Cuentas, vice minister of Finance of the MEF. Contreras opposed the replacement of one of his trusted men, according to voices from the PCM.

The inconsistency

Fueled by the rumor of his eventual departure, Contreras Miranda would have written his resignation letter and was only waiting to meet with Dina Boluarte to argue his reasons; Silence prevailed in the Palace.

During that period, the Minister of Health, César Vásquez, said at midday that Contreras – also on WhatsApp – assured him that he was not going to resign; Meanwhile, Ana Choquehuanca, from Produce, managed to mention that “he will have to speak out.”

At 5:42 pm, with the carefree walk that characterizes him and without half measures, Contreras Miranda gave in, and even denied that he had wanted to leave the MEF.

His colleagues asked him if Boluarte had ratified it, to which, with the coldness of a surgeon, he took a breath and betrayed the principle that led him to contact us to state that he was leaving. MEF: “No no. Nothing of that. It’s a work meeting. In that sense…”, and he continued with the script of economic reactivation and the response to the El Niño phenomenon.

“I feel comfortable working and I said it from the beginning. These are positions of trust (…) I have not presented anything. I think that yesterday’s meeting (of Boluarte, Carranza and Arista) has generated some rumors, but we continue working on the reactivation,” he said.

Political scientist Juan de la Puente argues that Contreras’ actions respond to the nature of his portfolio: he leaks his resignation, creates speculation about his continuity and then negotiates his permanence. “Everything is fine for me, but the economy continues to deteriorate. And I think no one noticed,” he ironized in X.

Executive sources warned, shortly before it became known that Contreras was going to go back on his decision, that this journalistic house and a couple of others have been used for “a lifeline operation to push Boluarte to a decision, knowing what she is like.”

“Petroperú and lack of transparency”

Without delving into the discontent that Petroperú generated, it is necessary to emphasize that the head of the MEF did not attend the ceremony for the total start-up of the New Talara Refinery (NRT), held on December 30, despite the fact that he is a member of the general meeting. of Petroperú shareholders.

Contreras does not endorse, for example, the capitalization of the debt that Petroperú has with the MEF. Let us remember that in 2022, during Kurt Burneo’s administration – and when Contreras was vice minister – S/4,000 million were injected for the state company to face its liquidity crisis. He assures that “there is no room” to help Petroperú more after it was authorized to request aid for US $ 3.2 billion.

The recklessness itself

For the former head of the Sunat Luis Alberto Arias Minaya, who in the midst of the recession and the deterioration of the potential of the GDP Due to instability and political conflict, according to the World Bank, OECD and Fitch, episodes like this hinder the path to recovery.

“The president meets with two former ministers without the presence of the current minister, and that led to rumors of Contreras’ departure from the MEF. Uncertainty was added to the political problems we have. It is a bad start to the year (…) Politics and the economy do not go on separate lines,” commented the specialist for La República.

Minister questioned by the (questioned) Congress

As soon as Contreras’ intentions to resign became known, congressmen from groups such as Fuerza Popular, Avanza País and Podemos Perú did not take long to react on social networks and spoke out in favor of his departure. They stressed that a change of such magnitude was needed to begin the path towards the country’s economic recovery.

“It has been the best decision in the face of the terrible results and the recession that he tried to hide,” said Fujimori member Rosangella Barbarán. Meanwhile, the ungrouped Carlos Anderson stated that his departure is insufficient to regain business confidence.

Alejandro Cavero (AP) added that “a competent professional with political capacity” was required to replace him.

It is worth remembering that Contreras has been in the crosshairs of the Legislature, because on the eve of Christmas A motion for interpellation was filed against him.

Figures

• -0.6% is the result of the GDP during the first year of Dina Boluarte.
• 3% expect this 2024. It is not enough to reduce poverty, according to specialists.

Reactions

Juan José Marthans, former head of the SBS

“Our political front is largely responsible for the low private investment. There is no reactivation without a political solution and without the departure of Otárola. That is the real solution. “That is the key resignation.”

Juan de la Puente, political scientist

“Typical MEF move. I leak my resignation in reaction to the presence of former ministers. I give rise to speculation (…) and negotiate my permanence. Everything is fine for me, but the economy continues to deteriorate.”