A mayor's remarks on pensions have sparked outrage: "Let many die so that others can get better pay."

A mayor from Entre Ríos has intervened in the conflict between the government and the opposition over the approval of a law to increase pensions . Oscar Francou, mayor of Caseros, suggested that for this increase in pension benefits to be realized, "many" retirees must first die.

" The only way for people to leave the retirement system is to die , and more people will die than enter, and over time the system will become stronger," said Francou , mayor of the small municipality located in eastern Entre Ríos, on the outskirts of Concepción del Uruguay.

The leader became the center of attention locally when he spoke about the situation of older adults during a political meeting.

"There are things that are going to take a long time. Increasing retirees' salaries will lead to the death of many , so that the salaries will be lowered, and thus the rest will start earning better," the local leader said during a meeting of neighborhood leaders held in the town of Cerrito.

The comments—as recorded on the YouTube channel Semanario Departamental TV —came when he was talking about the difficulties local governments are facing due to the adjustment measures promoted by the nation . In that message, he clarified that, despite these circumstances, he generally agrees with the policies promoted by Javier Milei.

"I think these things are good and we need to deepen them . We need to help, and in the short term, not so long, we need to start improving," he added, referring to the cuts implemented by the government.

Although Francou clarified that he is not a member of La Libertad Avanza (LLA), he emphasized his sympathy for the ideas of the national ruling party. "Whether we like it or not that less money is coming, we are on the right path ," he insisted during the conversation.

Following the controversy his statements generated in that region of the province governed by Rogelio Frigerio, the municipal official sought to clarify his opinions and spoke of "a bad move" against him.

"What I said was cut. If they had left it in a little longer, no one would be asking me all these things," he said, referring to the video that circulated later.

In his defense and by way of argument, Francou pointed out this Wednesday that the country has "a retirement system that has been overloaded for years" and that it has collapsed in recent years. "Now we have a national government that says no one will join if they don't contribute," he said in an interview with Radio Plaza .

In that context, he tried to downplay his initial statements, but ended up reaffirming them. "It's very simple: it's not a short-term solution, but a very long-term one. As they earn less, they (retirees) will die ," he reaffirmed.