Luis Lacalle Pou: "I am neither the good nor the bad of Macri, we are another country"

You trust but do not neglect the details of the plan you need to be

the future president of Uruguay

, with a broad coalition of parties that have agreed on a law with hundreds of reforms to vote in the short term. Luis Lacalle Pou, a national party senator and opposition candidate, yesterday launched the campaign by organizing a number in the resort of La Paloma. Before, he spoke with
THE NATION about your plans.

– How can the opposition win the elections of the party that has governed for 15 years and has always had economic growth?

– Growth must be evaluated from the point of view of human development, the individual, the social and the country in the international concert. Individually, we find that educational opportunities have been reversed because they affect access capacity and equality of opportunity. Second, housing, because after the historic growth, more than 165,000 Uruguayans live in unworthy conditions and the number of settlements has increased. Housing plans for people with fewer resources were noticed by their absence. In addition, security is the main problem because people are scared.

-Why is it said that the country has not advanced?

Uruguay has imposed a brake to conclude agreements. By ideology, for reasons of economic convenience and irregularities of some close to power, he eventually embrace Venezuela. And so it is because of ideological affinities with Kirchner and Lula, partially upset by Paraguay, leaving the train with the United States (when Bush offered Uruguay an FTA). Growth, if you look at the numbers, can not be discussed, but when it is presented to the person, where is it?

-The Broad Front warns the voter on the risks of voting for "a change" and gives as an example some economic results of the measures taken by Argentina or Brazil. Do you see a problem with that?

-It is rather mediocre that "we must stay, because otherwise, look at those who come". The fact is that the Front has failed, it has run out and all of its candidates have somehow participated in the government and are responsible for those 15 years. We must not only talk about change, we must also talk about alternation. The most complete demonstration of freedom in democracy is alternation in power.

– Do not worry about the comparison campaign? The Front warns that it can fall on inflation of 40%, more poverty …

– It is another mediocre argument to call the other side of the pond to refute the arguments on this side. They already wanted to compare me to Macri and my question is: does the Frente Amplio Kirchner? If I am Macri, are they Kirchner? I believe that they are not that and that I am neither the good nor the bad of Macri; We are another country and under other circumstances.

– How do you plan to form this government coalition?

-The next government is a government committed to the country. The parties may not agree with very deep affinities, but we are united by commitment to the country, based on common sense. The parties that can be integrated are serious people who want to change things.

– What about the demand of people to fight hard against crime?

– It is necessary to strengthen the presence of the police: to try to make the laws flexible and rigid, and not rigid. Crime suppression goes hand in hand with social inclusion.

– Do you think to dismantle the social plans promoted by the Broad Front?

– Economic transfers have not spawned human development, but dependence, paternalism and have killed the will of effort. They say we are going to end social policies because it's hello, they bought cuckoo crates at the fair and they use it. But that is to deny the history of the nation, because the social state is older than the partner's hole. What must be done is the waste of millions of people in those years.

-What do you expect from Mercosur partners?

-Macri and Bolsonaro met and talked about flexibility, which is an opportunity for Uruguay. We must be able to negotiate without violating the bloc's membership. And one way or another, we must coordinate economic policy, not for a single currency, but at least with contacts between central banks and chancelleries.

-Uruguay and Argentina are voting the same day. For Uruguay, do you find it convenient that Macri continues or that Peronism comes back?

-What? There is a democratic government. I can not go in, I have my preferences, but with the President of Argentina, I have to hear well. What I imagine is a Uruguayan president who takes a plane every two months to travel to Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.