Presidential elections in Argentina: Peronism and its strength in the official lists

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The lists of candidates for the PASO elections, which includes the presidential ones, were closed last Saturday with a high representation of Peronist politicians

On June 22, the lists for the primary, open, simultaneous and obligatory elections, also called PASO, were closed in Argentina. In these lists is the political panorama of the next few years at least in terms of the legislators who will govern both in Buenos Aires, as in the other regions of the country. Of greater importance for international opinion, the list also makes official who will be the presidential candidates for the next elections, which will take place on October 27.

Leer en español: Presidenciales argentinas: el peronismo y su fuerza en las listas oficiales

Although Peronism permeates, there are three formulas that promise to be the strongest in the market for being head of state: on the side of the ruling party, is Mauricio Macri, current president, with conservative old school Peronist, Miguel Angel Pichetto; on the side of the Kirchnerist movement, there is Alberto Fernández, former cabinet chief of the first Kirschner government, and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's former chief of cabinet during the two periods before Macri. Finally, there is a third option that many of the dissatisfied with the two positions that have become traditional, can support: Roberto Lavagna, former minister of economy, and Juan Manuel Urtubey, governor of Salta. Here we tell you a little more about these presidential formulas.

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Macri-Pichetto

It was a surprise when Macri made official that Pichetto was going to be his vice presidential formula for the coalition Juntos por el Cambio (Together for Change), taking into account that he is a conservative Peronist, the high ranking of the Justicialist Party and long-standing in Parliament. Although he is a figure of Peronism, Pichetto fiercely opposed to Kirschnerism in the Senate during the presidencies of both, so it is not an alliance of such radical opposition.

Likewise, as El País explained, Macri can find with him, in case I won, greater parliamentary support. Therefore, "Pichetto can give Macri the parliamentary governance he needs (in Argentina, the vice president is the head of the Upper House) and seduce a Peronist electorate that does not agree with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner."

Finally, it can also be said that Macri's popularity has stabilized in recent months with greater stability in the economy, which influences his favor for the first round. According to the last survey of Isonomía, the Argentine teller company, Macri has a 43% positive image and a negative image of 65% to 57%.

Fernández-Fernández

Probably the biggest surprise of these elections is the duo of Alberto Fernández and Cristina Fernández de Kirschner, creators of the Frente de Todos coalition, mainly because the former president is the vice presidential formula. In that sense, Fernandez remains a central figure of a more pragmatic and less radical character than Kirschner could have been. As the newspaper TN explains, they play against the re-election of Macri, since "it does not precede a polarized and ideologically different figure as the former president was but faces a more moderate and pragmatic profile as it is Alberto Fernández".

Also, according to a survey made by the same media to 800 people during May 20 and 21, Fernández's good image is not negligible, since she has 42% approval in her positive opinion. This shows that, although he has not been a central figure in politics in recent years, his alliance with Kirschner finds a balance among the more moderate population.

Lavagna- Urtubey

Finally, there is the possible third option for those who are tired of both the policy of Macri and the Kirchner. The Federal Consensus coalition is made up of the former minister of economy, Roberto Lavagna, who dealt with the economic crisis of 2001, and Juan Manuel Urtubey, the popular governor of the province of Salta since 2007. They will use their strong -Lavagna, the economic and Urtubey, the political- to enhance its popularity as a more notable option to the governments of recent years.

As Urtubey has stated since its official launch, according to El Clarín, it is precisely to be the 'third option' that can give it the real opportunity. "Polarization is when there are halves, here there are thirds" has become a kind of motto, next to its opposition to the other two options: "That people understand that they have an option not to choose an incapable or corrupt government", reflects Clarín.

LatinAmerican Post | Juan Gabriel Bocanegra

Translated from "Presidenciales argentinas: el peronismo y sus fuerza en las listas oficiales"