MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Inflation in Argentina “around 20%” says ex minister Lavagna

Former Minister R. Lavagna

Argentina's former economy minister Roberto Lavagna claimed that inflation is “round 20%” departing from the government line that puts the index of rising prices at 8.5% for 2007.

Although Lavagna often claimed that inflation was far above government figures during his campaign as presidential candidate last year, his outright dismissal of the official figures comes as a surprise after he recently re-aligned himself with former president Néstor Kirchner. "Inflation is what I said it was during the presidential campaign. Nowadays there are people who put the figure a little lower, but on average it's around 20%" Lavagna told Página/12 newspaper in an interview that appeared Sunday. He even went so far as to criticize government policy, saying that the INDEC should be improved by re-instating the staff that was fired for refusing to obey the orders of Domestic Trade Secretary Guillermo Moreno. "Inflation is a problem," the former minister acknowledged. "It has to go down and investment has to go up," he added, but refused to explain what kind of policy he would implement, given the chance. "If I were to say what I would do, it would be interfering with those who are responsible, which is the ministers." Lavagna denied that there were any plans for him to play a role in the government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, but said he was willing to discuss any eventualities with the President, "if there's an invitation". Lavagna ran against Mrs Kirchner in last year's presidential election. On February 14 he said that those who "voted for me as an opposition candidate were confused".