Updated Monday 5.15 p.m.

Marco Lavagna resigned unexpectedly as director of Argentina’s statistics institute INDEC on Monday.

The news comes just eight days before the institute was set to publish January’s inflation figures, calculated with a formula INDEC authorities said would better reflect purchasing power.

However, hours after Lavagna’s exit, Economy Minister Luis Caputo said the new index would only be implemented “once the disinflation process is fully consolidated.”

“Our view is that the index should not be changed now. In fact, it makes little difference,” he said in an interview with Radio Rivadavia.

Caputo said Lavagna will be replaced by Pedro Lines, who has served in the INDEC since 2016 and has been its technical director since 2018.

Lavagna’s announcement surprised a great deal of government officials and workers.

“We are appalled,” said Raúl Llaneza, deputy secretary-general of the State Workers’ Association union and a union representative for INDEC.

Llaneza added that Caputo’s announcement that the INDEC would finally not publish January’s inflation rate with the updated methodology doesn’t give workers “peace of mind,” as everything was “up and running” to implement it.

“We find it strange, a justification that lacks technical rigor — it’s political, and we don’t think it’s right,” said Llaneza.

Not all, however, were displeased with........

© Buenos Aires Herald