translated from Spanish: Macri becomes his electoral trump card

security after a devastating year in the economic aspect, and months after the general elections, the President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, has opted to become his main electoral trump card security policies l, driving strong measures aimed at lowering the crime rate.” “It ended the time that criminals get out with it as the vast majority work to take this country forward”, proclaimed Macri in his inaugural address of Congress political year, even though the shift of the Government toward this area appears to be more of a political strategy. The disenchantment of the country in economic terms is huge, but there is a sector which, despite their anger, hardness in security measures could “return to love it”, says Jorge Arias, of the consulting firm Polilat.

Mauricio Macri/AP not in vain, the insecurity is the third issue that most concerns in the country after the inflation and the uncertainty in the economic situation in Argentina – these two recent, closely related-, according to the study on Social and political Humor from February the D’Alessio IROL and Berensztein consulting.” The issue of security is present, what happens when economic policy is bad, it passes into the background when the economy more or less works, passed again to the forefront, “says Mariel Fornoni, analyst of Management & Fit.Siguiendo this reflection, which Search the Government of Argentina is to reverse this trend in a way that, at a time in which the country is in a bad economic situation, security pass to the foreground.

Mauricio Macri/AP in this direction for Arias, the emergence of some “emblematic facts” that are reiterated “several times a day for news channels”, as the round a few months ago to a Swedish tourist that cut off her leg after being shot again placing the subject in public opinion and make that the sense of insecurity grows. The reality is that from 2014 to 2017, according to reports from the National Institute of statistics and censuses (Indec), the homicide rate chained three descents consecutive to 5.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, while in the same period, the theft also it went down and was fixed at 898 per 100,000 inhabitants. However, with soaring poverty rates and unemployment on the rise, 2018 officials indicators of criminality – yet unknown – stability could have vanished, since more people is doomed to a situation of exclusion.

For the consultant of Polilat, the Argentine Government also committed to this strategy because it features the figure of the Minister of security, Patricia Bullrich, who has “political experience” and, above all, “plays strong”. In addition to addressing a vast reform of the criminal code, some of the measures the Executive-driven in recent months have not been exempt from controversy and put the focus on minors and foreigners, among others. The regime criminal youth trying to push forward, include the lowering of the age of accountability at age 15, which has aroused a strong rejection in various social sectors of the country. Argentina’s Secretary of security, Eugenio Burzaco, says EfE that the age of accountability mean in the region is 14 years and does not believe that it is ‘correct’ a 16 year old boy who commits a murder does not make “responsible for their actions”.

In the same way, at the end of January Macri amended immigration law to accelerate the process of deportation and prohibition of entry into the country of foreigners who have committed serious crimes. For Paula Litvachky, Director of Justice and security of the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS), these measures form part of a punitive “demagoguery” to create the sensation that “minors are responsible for crime in Argentina (…) and foreigners are responsible for the violence.” Another security hottest action was the adoption of a regulation that gives more freedom to the Federal forces in the use of firearms to protect citizens in situations of “danger imminent”, without the need for a first attack of the offender. This forcefulness, filling jails, and covers can be the lifeline to keep Macri afloat in the presidential race until October, although the economic tide is as unstable as ever.

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Original source in Spanish