Alfredo Cornejo predicted Javier Milei's reelection: “It would be very dangerous to change course”

The governor of Mendoza, Alfredo Cornejo, supported the political and economic direction promoted by Javier Milei and stated that it would be dangerous for Argentina to change it. The provincial leader made these statements during the third edition of the Forbes Argentina Mining Summit, held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Buenos Aires.

In a conversation with the governor of Catamarca, Raúl Jalil, Cornejo was emphatic in analyzing the national political scenario and maintained that the country must keep the direction adopted during the current administration.

“I have no doubt that Argentina and its institutional political system should not change the general course. It would be very dangerous to change it”, affirmed the Mendoza governor before businesspeople, specialists, and political leaders.

When specifically asked about the upcoming presidential elections and the possibility of Milei continuing in power, Cornejo avoided presenting himself as an infallible predictor, although he left a clear definition.

“I am not the oracle, but in 2025 society gave me a good signal”, he stated, referring to the electoral support obtained by the ruling party. He added: “Even though there are difficulties in changing the model and it creates winners and losers in this first instance, I believe Milei will be re-elected”.

In this regard, Cornejo also pointed out that there is a sector of allied leaders willing to politically support this process. “There is a part of the allies who are willing to put their bodies into this task”, he asserted.

Mendoza seeks to consolidate itself as a mining province

During the meeting organized by Forbes Argentina along with the Argentine Chamber of Mining Companies (CAEM), Cornejo also assessed the transformation that Mendoza has been promoting in mining.

Accompanied by the provincial Minister of Energy and Environment, Jimena Latorre, the governor described the current scenario for Mendoza's metal mining as “super optimistic”, an activity that for years faced strong resistance within the province.

“In just over two years, we have turned the page”, assured Cornejo when referring to the reforms and changes implemented to favor the development of the sector.

The governor suggested that society has begun to understand the need to diversify the productive structure and generate new sources of growth and foreign exchange income.

In this line, he highlighted the potential of unconventional oil and mining, in addition to Mendoza's traditional activities, such as winemaking and agribusiness.

Infrastructure: the challenge for mining development

Cornejo also focused on the infrastructure needed to support the growth of mining investments. “Without energy, transportation, and other infrastructure, this cannot work”, he warned.

The governor agreed with the view that private companies must assume a significant part of the costs associated with projects, although he clarified that certain public-use and urban development works require mixed financing schemes, with state participation.

Additionally, he called for greater national attention to road and rail infrastructure, especially to prevent logistical difficulties from limiting the expansion of strategic sectors.

As a reference, he mentioned the needs currently generated by the growth of Vaca Muerta, where the increase in production demands increasingly robust infrastructure to transport resources and facilitate exports.

Cornejo called for consensus to guarantee investments

Finally, the Mendoza governor compared the Argentine situation with that of neighboring countries such as Chile and Uruguay and emphasized the importance of building basic consensus to ensure predictability for those who decide to invest.

According to Cornejo, one of the main challenges is to prevent changes in government from leading to permanent modifications in the rules of the game for productive sectors.

In this context, he proposed that mining should become a long-term state policy, just as is the case with the development of Vaca Muerta.

“Vaca Muerta has a solvency that transcends governments; mining can follow the same path”, he concluded.

Cornejo's political definition also occurred in a context where various productive sectors seek to consolidate the new economic scenario promoted by Milei. For the Mendoza governor, maintaining the course and generating institutional stability will be key to attracting investments, increasing exports, and expanding Argentina's productive matrix.