The Graduate School of Political Management’s Latin American program hosted the Argentine Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers Marcos Peña at its 2017 fall semester Seminar on “Electoral Campaigns “ on Friday, December 1st. Peña is a core member of President Mauricio Macri’s campaign and political teams, providing key communications strategies and guidance. He runs the Jefatura de Gabinete de Ministros, which is responsible for coordinating the work of the cabinet of ministers, public communications and strategic affairs.
As a founding collaborator of the “Propuesta Republicana” party, also known as “PRO”, under which Mauricio Macri started his rise in South American politics, Peña has seen how nascent political organizations can grow quickly. The PRO party found its greatest success in the historic defeat of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in the country’s first runoff ballotage race. That success has continued for the party, and Peña shared some of those lessons with students.
One of Peña's points was about the importance of analyzing defeats as well as successes. He was asked about Mauricio Macri’s losing campaign for Mayor of Buenos Aires in 2003. Peña stated “This was absolutely shocking, but did learn a great deal about this loss. A big part of being living in a democracy is to be able to look back and find the reasons behind this loss, therefore, they we do not make the same mistakes again”
That lesson informed the Macri campaign's assessment of later races. In reference to the presidential election of 2015, Peña said, “Mauricio Macri expressed that this was not a victory coming from him, but rather from the whole party. This clearly reflects a contemporaneous leadership.
Now as president, Macri is dealing with a different set of priorities during his presidency, Peña stated “Macri is enjoying his presidency and is confident about Argentina’s future. There is a high level of hope in the country. The dynamics of this country are changing for the better.”
The Argentine government has assumed the presidency of the G20 for 2018 effective December 1. Peña said that the government’s focus would be to “build consensus for fair and sustainable development” and to advance three central priorities addressing the future of work, infrastructure for development, and food security. The administration also seeks to amplify the voice of the entire region on the global stage, not just Argentina.
