Guillermo Moreno (Argentine politician)

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Guillermo Moreno is an Argentine politician and one of the main supporters of Kirchnerism. He currently serves as Secretary of Domestic Trade in President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's administration.

Moreno is often referred to as "the cowboy" due to his harsh methods in dealing with corporations and politicians. He became notorious, among Argentine CEOs, by openly threatening to resort to violence and for brandishing a pistol during meetings in his office.

He also became the target of nationwide criticism after allegedly intervening the INDEC, the Argentine institute of official statistics, removing officials who would not agree to underestimate the inflation rate -- or so the argument goes.

Moreno was an active member of the Peronist Youth in the 1970s, a left-wing branch of the Peronist movement that favoured a social revolution on the lines of the Cuban revolution.[1] After democracy was re-established in Argentina in 1983, he opened a hardware wholesale store in Buenos Aires and graduated in Economics at the Argentine University of Business (UADE).[1]

His first Government position was Under-Secretary of Production in the Buenos Aires city Government, under mayor Carlos Grosso, in the early 90s. [1] He later became an assistant to the Trade Secretary during the Presidency of Eduardo Duhalde (2002-2003). [2]

Moreno became close to Néstor Kirchner before Kirchner reached the Presidency in 2003.[1] He was one of the members of the Calafate Group, a loose think-tank created, among others, by Néstor Kirchner himself as a forum to foster heterodox ideas that would revert the neoliberal policies of the 1990s.

During Kirchner's Government, Moreno served as Secretary of Communications for a couple of years, before taking over as Secretary of Domestic Trade, a post he held after Néstor Kirchner was succeeded by his wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on December 10th 2007.

Moreno has been described as a highly authoritarian official, and it has often been argued that he exerts far more influence in national politics than it would be reasonably expected, considering his office as a Secretary, formally subordinated to the Minister of Economics. It is believed his power struggle against former Minister Martín Lousteau was the main reason behind the latter's resignation in April 2008, after a mere four months in office. [3]

Moreno separated from his wife with whom he has a son and a daughter.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Diario Perfil: Guillermo Moreno: Biografía no autorizada del apretador oficial de los K, 20 April 2008.
  2. ^ Clarín: La carne no bajó y Kirchner decidió cambiar a uno de los negociadores, 13 April 2006.
  3. ^ Periodismo de Verdad: El matrimonio Kirchner decide si Guillermo Moreno y Ricardo Jaime continúan en sus cargos, 15 May 2008.