Deputy Facundo Manes (UCR) explained why he was the only deputy of the 116 that make up the bloc of Together for Change in not accompanying the impeachment request once morest President Alberto Fernández, which placed him at the center of criticism from his allies. “Let’s be clear: an impeachment request is a measure to remove the President. It is an extreme measure for the institutional functioning of the democratic system that cannot be trivialized”, he warned.
The neurologist began a thread of messages on Twitter sharing criticism of the President’s expressions once morest the prosecutors in the Vialidad case, Diego Luciani and Sergio Molawho on Monday concluded their plea asking for a sentence of 12 years in prison and lifelong disqualification for the vice president Cristina Kirchner.
“There is no doubt that the President’s statements are irresponsible, dangerous and OUTRAGEOUS [sic]. We are not going to tolerate mafia statements in Argentina. But this is not a situation that calls for impeachment,” Manes emphasized.
The differentiation with his bench peers, who this followingnoon presented the request for impeachment with the signatures of all the heads of the interbloc, did not stop there. Basically, he pointed out the haste and lack of analysis of his allies. “You cannot make requests for impeachment of prematurelyby institutional gravity what this implies. It is a decision that mustbe finalized and deeply debated”he claimed.
From that point on, the radical deputy continued his presentation on these two fronts: on the one hand, pointing out the seriousness of Fernández’s statements and the acts of corruption reflected by the prosecutors in the Vialidad case; and, on the other, to warn of the deficiencies of the strategy promoted by Together for Change.
“Let’s not forget: there was a serious crime here. Money was stolen from everyone, a lot of money that was not invested in the well-being of Argentines. It is a crime that has to judge the Justice, regardless of the policyto recover those resources and return them to society”, he indicated, to emphasize: “It is not a political discussion, it is a crime. Let’s not divert attention. Let’s put aside electoral speculation and let justice act”.
With his sights set on his allies, he continued: “It is a mistake to remove this discussion from the plane of Justice and take it to politics. This strategy is convenient for many because it continues to appeal to the crack that brought us here and allows them to keep their privileges.”
To close, he pointed to Fernández once more: “The citizens ask the President for justice without privileges and that he governs to move the country forward. And that, once and for all, we focus on the issues that really matter: corruption, hunger, inflation, cuts in health and education, lack of direction.
In parallel with the neurologist’s exposure, the criticism of his allies in Together for Change did not stop growing. And the accusations and repudiations of the named and anonymous militants multiplied on social networks. “Manes is going to have to explain why he is the only one who did not sign, I asked if he did not know and they told me that he did not want to sign. It is of a very strong institutional irresponsibility. You will have to explain why you did not want to sign”, warned Patricia Bullrich, president of Pro, interview by LN +.
Laura Alonso, former head of the Anti-Corruption Office during the Cambiemos administration, also criticized Manes. “I can ask you @ManesF Why didn’t you accompany the request for impeachment of Alberto Fernández? Of 116 deputies of the interbloc you were the only one who did not accompany. Could you explain to the voters of @togetherchangear?”, he claimed to the national deputy through Twitter.
When Manes’ response came, Alonso showed no mercy to the neurologist. “Your response from him is irresponsible and cynical. Furthermore, the decision of the interblock is not debatable. It is not a question of conscience. The Constitution must prevail and to defend it in Congress is @togetherchangear”, he reacted.
Later, in the midst of the repercussions, Facundo Manes answered the criticism through an interview on the TN channel. There, the deputy argued that “institutions must be preserved” and cited that the president of the Radical Civic Union, Gerardo Morales, also rejects the request for impeachment.
“There was no serious, long discussion, and the block is not a pack”, Manes pointed out, while insisting on his emphatic rejection of the president’s statements. “I want to beat Kirchnerism so they don’t come back, but I want to value the institutions.”
Manes emphasized that Fernández’s “unpleasant” expressions linking Diego Luciani to Alberto Nisman “do not warrant an extreme measure of impeachment.” “And the president of the UCR, Gerardo Morales, also said it, that he does not agree either”, he stated.