In his field in Villa Paranacito, in the south of Between Rivers, Rogelio Frigerio planted a pecan tree. Those who know about the subject say that it is the tastiest variety of this dried fruit, and that it requires a lot of care and dedication because it is only after fifteen years that it is in a position to produce an important production. More than half a century has passed since Frigerio put his on his land, and that land that only had one tree has now practically become a forest.
Is that Roger Frigerio, the grandson of the same name who started the project, continued with the family legacy and today is one of the leading players in this field of nuts in the country. Not only that, but each tree that he adds to his fields is born from a stem that his grandfather planted, which, being the oldest on the ranch, is the one that gives the best guarantee of good growth. But the preference for pecan nuts is not the only thing he inherited from who was the strong man of the government of arturo frondizi and founder of the developmentalist movement in Argentina: from his grandfather also drew his passion for politics. Settled in the bar of the CR spa, in the Pinamar that he chose to rest for two weeks with his family, the one who was Macri’s Minister of the Interior and has just been one of the great revelations in the 2021 elections – he obtained 54% of the votes in his province- tells how the presence of his grandfather marked him. “He loved politics and was very strict. I remember that when I was a boy he would make me read Marx and Hegel in their original language, German, and then he would take me an exam”, he says, recalling the ideological affinities that influenced his father’s father.
Perhaps it is because of, in his words, “having politics in his blood” that Frigerio had strong friction with Macri and his circle when they were government. The then minister led the so-called “political wing”, along with Emilio Monzo -with whom he opened a consulting firm after leaving power-, from which they asked for more opening of the space towards other sectors. What Frigerio and his friend demanded materialized, although two years later: in the last elections, Together they opened up, added new figures and won the election. The new deputy is not going to say it in the interview, but many close to him feel it as a kind of revenge. “But the way is forward, the interns in Together for Change are useless, they are functional to Kirchnerism”, he says, a while before posing for the NEWS camera.
Roger Frigerio: It is true that Together for Change, greater institutionality and better decision-making mechanisms are due. It is also logical that after losing an election, as happened in 2019, leadership is collegial and horizontal, until the 2023 primaries define who is the leader of the space and the candidate for president.
News: Were you satisfied with what your government was?
fridge: Not at all. It is true that we have achieved very important achievements, such as being the first non-Peronist government to finish its mandate, despite the fact that it was a very weak government, with parliamentary minorities and with five governors out of 24. It was a very complex situation. But we also made mistakes from which we have to learn to expand our space and to develop a clear government program for 2023. It seems to me that we did not live up to the expectations that we had generated. But you have to look forward, and you have to put limits on a Kirchnerism that wants to go for everything. It is true that for this we have to learn from the past that we must be broader, incorporate more visions, more nuances and be more generous.
News: Unlike the majority of what was the macrista cabinet, you returned to compete in this election. Did you imagine in 2019 that two years later you were going to lead an electoral process?
fridge: Not really. I think it is good that politicians enter and leave public activity, and also that they have experience in private activity, which in Argentina means paying taxes, paying a salary, generating wealth. And the truth is that, as on other occasions in my life, I imagined, after 2019, several years in private activity. I set up a consultancy again, and I didn’t think it would come back so quickly, but I felt that in Entre Ríos we all needed to participate to put a stop to Kirchnerism, so that the country would not continue towards a north that I think the majority of Argentines do not they share. I did it, of course, against my wife’s suggestions (laughs). The campaign alienated me from my family even more than the management did.
