“The primary figure is currently negative again,” said President Simons who made it clear that her administration will not allow a repeat of measures that have exhausted the nation. President Simons explained that prior to the elections of May 2025 she held talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and that these talks would be resumed. “We said that we would keep talking to the IMF. We will keep talking and evaluating our situation to find out  what kind of support we can get from the IMF.” President Simons pointed out that “too much money was pumped into the nation” and that this pushed the exchange rates upwards and therefore triggered instability. Nevertheless she remains willing to work with the IMF but under different terms. According to President Simons, the strengthening of institutions must be given priority. She emphasized that the strengthening of institutions does not only have to be done from the inside but that it is also good to get others involved.  President Simons made it clear that her administration will not accept a new round of social disruption. “We most certainly will not push the people through a new series of impoverishing measures. We can’t do that.” Although President Simons acknowledged that IMF programs can be carried out in various ways, she opposes the harsh manner in which it was implemented in the past couple of years. “We will keep talking with the IMF to see what we can do so that we can support our people, send our children to school and feed them.”