According to President Hipolito Mejia, the economic measures announced on Sunday were well thought out and their results will be seen within one week. Finance Minister Jose Lois Malkum told reporters that the aim of the measures is not to save money, but rather to stabilize the exchange rate. The cabinet member acknowledged that there is a critical lack of confidence in the country.
Technical Secretary of the Presidency, Rafael Calderon, while admitting that the announced 10-percent increase on imports contradicts several of the free trade agreements already in effect, defended the measures, recalling that they are only temporary.