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“If there is a mess, call Francos”: profile of the man of consensus that Javier Milei chose as Chief of Staff - Infobae
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“Si hay lío, llamalo a Francos”: perfil del hombre de consensos que Javier Milei eligió como jefe de Gabinete
Con una larga trayectoria política que va desde Cavallo, Scioli y Alberto Fernández, el flamante ministro coordinador asume el desafío más importante de su carrera. Se propone darle “dinámica” a la gestión
www.infobae.com
May 28, 2024
With a long political career that goes back to Cavallo, Scioli and Alberto Fernández, the brand new coordinating minister takes on the most important challenge of his career. He proposes to give “dynamics” to management
By Robertino Sánchez Flecha
Guillermo Francos, a man of consensus who became the reality principle of Javier Milei
“If there is a problem, call Francos . ” That phrase occurred in a dialogue during the 2023 electoral campaign. A political operator from La Libertad Avanza, from Javier Milei 's small circle , told a leader of the space to contact Guillermo Francos to unblock a logistical problem with the inspection. prior to scrutiny. He summarizes the role that the Nation's new Chief of Staff has had since he joined the libertarian forces: a bit of a firefighter, a bit of caste, just the right dose of temperance, capacity for consensus. A little bit of so much that was missing in an experiment full of novelty that walked towards the unknown.
These attributes plus the trust and friendship with Milei made him the person chosen to replace Nicolás Posse as coordinating minister. The departure of the engineer represents the first, most delicate political crisis piloted by the libertarian government. For those storms, again, he resorted to what was reliable: “ If there is a problem, call Francos .”
Francos is 74 years old and has almost five decades of professional experience. So many that when he began his political career, the figure of Chief of Staff that he now has to assume did not exist in the Argentine Constitution. He was born in the south of the province of Buenos Aires, in Coronel Rosales. There is the Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, where the leader's delivery room lives. He moved to Buenos Aires early in his youth and immersed himself in the world of Law. In 1974 he graduated as a lawyer from the University of Salvador. Since then, his life oscillated between public and private management.
Javier Milei greets Guillermo Francos (REUTERS/Leandro Bustamante Gomez)
He served as legal advisor to the Ministry of Justice during the presidencies of Alejandro Lanusse, Roberto Levingston and Isabel Perón. In the 80s he approached party politics, an activity from which he never left. He met Francisco Manrique and joined the Federal Party. His activism in that space led him to occupy a seat in the defunct Deliberative Council of the City of Buenos Aires in 1985. During that experience he shared a venue with well-known figures such as Carlos Maslatón and Federico Pinedo .
At the end of the 80s he presided over the Federal Party and entered into an alliance that led to the radical Eduardo Angeloz as candidate for president of the Nation . It was in the 1989 election that he brought Carlos Saúl Menem to Balcarce 50. After that proselytizing adventure, Francos was just 34 years away from reaching the Casa Rosada as a leading figure. In those elections, the leader assumed his second term as a Buenos Aires councilor and then had a stint in the government of that district as an official.
In the mid-90s, at the height of Menem's rise, Franco joined forces with that space and supported Menem's re-election. In 1996 he met none other than Domingo Cavallo , the father of convertibility and one of the emblems of Menemism. He collaborated with the former Minister of Economy in the formation of the Action for the Republic party and, within those ranks, he was elected national deputy. He served on his bench between 1997 and 2000.
Guillermo Francos, in his role as Minister of the Interior, during one of the sessions of the Bases Law (REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian)
He was 24 years away from being Milei's Chief of Staff. Before the end of 2000, Congress was singled out for a corruption scandal. Francos decided, then, to resign from his seat in the Lower House. He continued in Acción Republicana and acted as Cavallo's political operator, but without institutional positions.
In the early 2000s, Franco took on responsibilities in the private sector. He established a professional relationship with businessman Eduardo Eurnekian and began a long career in his group of firms. He held the presidency of ARG Línea Privada Argentina and also took charge of the management of Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 . In 2007 he decided to return to public life at the invitation of Daniel Scioli , then governor of the province of Buenos Aires. The former motorcyclist trusted the lawyer to put him in charge of the management of Banco Provincia . He was there until 2011, enough time to generate a close relationship with Scioli, which persists to this day.
It was only in 2012 when Francos returned to the Eurnekian group as director of Corporación América. That year and in that role he met Javier Milei , who worked as chief economist of that company. The engineer Nicolás Posse also worked in the same place . What they never imagined in their many talks is that 12 years later they would meet at the Casa Rosada.
Guillermo Francos with Daniel Scioli, when he served as director of Banco Provincia
Francos did not discontinue his political activity. In 2015 he was active in sciolismo for the presidential candidacy of the former governor. After the presidency of Mauricio Macri , he returned to public service four years later. He was summoned by his former friend, Gustavo Béliz , also at the request of Scioli, to serve as Argentine representative before the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). In that role he added international contact in an organization of great relevance in multilateralism. And his task was not minor: At the request of President Alberto Fernández , he moved to ensure that Béliz accesses the presidency of that organization. It was an attitude that led to disagreements with Mauricio Claver Carone , who headed the IDB until 2022.
In August 2023, Francos left his role at the IDB and formally joined Milei's campaign team. But he had already frequented the libertarian bunker at the beginning of the year. He even participated in an event organized by Carlos Balter 's Democratic Party that featured the leader of La Libertad Avanza. He collaborated in the shadows with the electoral assembly through advice, suggestions and contacts.
Since he officially joined Milei's campaign, Franco assumed a decisive role. His profile rose rapidly. He was a well-known name for old politics, but he had been absent from public opinion for the past few years. Although his political capacity was intact.
Guillermo Francos delivers the Bases Law to Martín Menem
Soon, Francos became one of the main spokespersons for Milei's campaign. The libertarian had swept the PASO elections and had to begin forming a team with leaders who would bring a certain prestige and seriousness to the libertarian wave. Until then, La Libertad Avanza was a space full of young, new or old but unknown figures.
After the October elections, where Milei entered the runoff against Sergio Massa , Francos was “made official” as the future Minister of the Interior in case La Libertad Avanza won the election. And so it was. The leader quickly gained the trust of Javier and Karina Milei .
Since he took office, his continuity has been questioned on more than one occasion. He never went beyond litter. “ He is firm as a statue curler ,” Milei always responded as a way of denying the rumors of a possible departure of Francos. Not only was he steadfast, but he played a key role in the libertarian administration.
Guillermo Francos in a meeting with governors of the Norte Grande
Francos contributed to the libertarian “ revolution ” connection with politics, consensus building , temperance , and compositional discourse. He has also been one of the main communicators before the press in defense of the Government's course, to strengthen positive points and to correct errors. Francos became the “ reality principle ” of Milei, a president who disbelieves in politics and has the prophet Moses as his leader .
From his offices in front of the Patio de las Palmeras, Francos forged links with all the provinces in a Government that does not have any governor of its own. While Milei quarreled with the communal chiefs and accused more than one of being a “ traitor ” for not following the Base Law, the governors spoke of the Minister of the Interior as a “ gentleman .” The 24 governors have a respectful and cordial relationship with Francos, despite the political nuances.
In decisive hours, Francos will be the main political architect of unblocking the sanction of the Bases Law and the fiscal package. To that role he now adds the responsibility of giving dynamics to management. He has already hinted that he will seek to delegate some responsibilities that Posse had accumulated, such as managing a series of public companies. He seeks to become a “ coordinating ” minister who applies radial interaction with the different portfolios. His name marks the beginning of a new stage in the Government. His aptitudes assigned him the greatest responsibility of his political career.
When it comes to stopping penalties, the President will not hesitate: “ If there is a problem, call Francos .”
