Argentine presidential aspirant Massa says would cut back state controls

Sergio Massa (R), presidential candidate for the Frente Renovador party, listens to a question next to former economy minister Roberto Lavagna during a meeting with foreign correspondents in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires November 26, 2014. REUTERS/Enrique Marcarian

TIGRE, Argentina (Reuters) - Sergio Massa, a frontrunner in Argentina's presidential election next year, said on Wednesday he would ensure the independence of the central bank and modify laws that have ramped up the role of the state in the country's stagnating economy.

Massa, who heads the Front for Renewal party and would come third in a vote now according to the latest opinion polls, said heavy controls on private firms had stunted investment and forecast the economy would shrink by 2 percent this year.