De Angeli: ‘Constitutional reform at stake’ in October elections

Entre Ríos Small Farmers’ Federation (FAA) leader Alfredo De Angeli stated that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s government “has lost credibility,” arguing that the opposition will unite for October’s mid-term elections.

De Angeli also played down rumours that he will support a possible presidential candidacy by Buenos Aires City Mayor Mauricio Macri, saying that despite forming part of an alliance with the centre-right PRO party, “for now we remain a step away” from direct endorsement.

When asked if he was now a senatorial candidate for PRO, he replied: “Not for PRO. We are parties of a front and PRO is one of the parts,” which also includes “working with Peronist groupings, the FE party led by (Geró-nimo) Venegas, with many non-Kirchnerite Justicialists in Entre Ríos, some Radicals (UCR), with Patricia Bullrich’s party (Union For All), and some more who will be joining in.”

De Angeli considered that “constitutional reform is at stake” in this year’s elections and that this was the main reason people “urged” him “to enter the political arena.” He maintained that the government is denying any intention to reform the Constitution to catch the opposition “napping ”.

“For the opposition this will be key to gaining seats in the Senate and this is why there is a difficult campaign ahead,” he argued.

As an icon of the farming sector, the FAA leader opined that it should be remembered when voting that “60,000 small farmers disappeared” as result of “this model,” and that voting for it would imply “deepening” the “elimination of small farmers and (further) concentration”

Reluctant to commit himself to supporting a presidential candidate at this stage, De Angeli asserted that for now, he will “work as a senator toward returning autonomy to the province, working to see in what way we can collaborate to eliminating poverty and working for education.”