Political writer Luis Majul claims Macri, who as mayor paid him $2.5 million, is "like Mandela." [View all]

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Luis Majul, one of the best known political writers and anchors in Argentina, earned a public rebuke by many of his colleagues in Argentine journalism by stating in a Cronista Comercial op-ed that President Mauricio Macri is "a modern-day Arturo Frondizi, mixed with Nelson Mandela but adapted to Argentine realities."

The comparison, which combines the policy virtues of former Argentine President Arturo Frondizi (who spurred industrialization during this 1958-62 tenure despite staunch opposition from the conservative landowning elite) and the iconic former South African President, Nelson Mandela, was criticized for not only its absurd embellishment and lack of basic journalistic integrity; but also for two known conflicts of interest between Majul and the president:

Majul's wife, María Conte Grand, is a close personal friend of Macri's Vice President, Gabriela Michetti, and today works as her private secretary.

And Majul's own production company, La Cornisa Producciónes ('The Ledge Production Co.'), received over 14 million pesos ($2.5 million) from the City of Buenos Aires under Mayor Macri from 2008 to 2014.

The contracts, which totaled 300 over the six years in question, were awarded on a no bid basis through the city's Secretary of Social Communication, which handles municipal publicity. None of the 300 contracts were listed in the official municipal record.

Macri's has already come under fire in recent months following revelations that hundreds of secret contracts from the Social Communication Department were used to fund propaganda campaigns through production companies created for the very purpose of collecting said contracts.

These include sportscaster Fernando Niembro, whose La Usina production company collected 23 million pesos ($3 million) on 192 such contracts; Héctor Santander's Derby Eland, which invoiced 20 million pesos ($2.2 million) for "sidewalk repair" but actually created political smart phone apps for Macri; Alejandro Monti's Ecomlat, which similarly invoiced 27 million pesos ($3 million) for "public works" while doing ad work; and right-wing Congressman Eduardo Amadeo, whose think tank Observatorio Social received 5 million pesos in "consulting fees" from Mayor Macri's city hall. Amadeo was a vocal Macri supporter.

At: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.taringa.net/posts/noticias/19137007/Majul-comparo-a-Macri-con-Mandela-y-todavia-se-rien-de-el.html&prev=search

And: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://argentinatoday.org/2015/12/22/majul-no-pudo-responder-despues-de-conocerse-que-cobro-14-millones-de-macri/&prev=search
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Note: All dollar figures in parentheses are calculated for the average exchange rate at the time.