Opposition, Kirchnerite officials sound off on YPF expropriation

After Fernández de Kirchner’s announcement of the Government’s decision to expropriate Repsol-YPF, officials from all parties came in support or condemnation of the measure. Fernando “Pino” Solanas celebrated the “recovery of our oil,” while Civic Coalition leader Elisa Carrió considered that despite the initiative, “there is no national, sustainable and rational plan to face the energy problem.”

Kirchnerite allies praised the decision. 

“We celebrate this decision because for 20 years we have been fighting to recover our oil,” lawmaker Fernando “Pino” Solanas (Proyecto Sur) said in a written statement, highlighting that the “future challenge is creating a company that is 100 percent public, national and federal.”

“This is a landmark day for all Argentines no matter what condition or political party they belong to, because we can turn over the page and leave behind the terrible history that began with the privatization of YPF,” he said, assuring that he “celebrated the resolution without looking into details because we’ve been fighting for 20 years for this.” 

However, Civic Coalition lawmakers María Eugenia Estenssoro, Adrián Pérez and Alfonso Prat Gay criticized the draft bill through a press statement.

“A mixed company will not be able to solve the energy problem either unless there’s a national, rational sustainable plan,” the statement read.

The Civic Coalition officials urged the Government to “recover self-sufficiency and widen the horizon of reserves, production and goals in investment matters.” 

Civic Coalition lawmaker Elisa Carrió assured she would widen the accusations against President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner over the alleged “emptying of YPF,” as she considered that her decision to expropriate the company is like “expropriating a dead body.”

“The President herself acknowledged that the YPF company had been emptied,” she added and accused the President of being part of a “cover up, and being part of emptying the company.” 

Kirchnerite lawmaker Agustín Rossi, however, supported the President’s announcement and said that “in order to reverse supply needs, it is necessary for the Government to be in strategic control of the company.”

“This is a huge step into recovering the country’s energy sovereignty,” he closed.