Argentine businessman Fernando Cerimedo became known to Brazilians in November last year because of the live broadcast in which he announced the existence of an apocryphal dossier with alleged fraud in electronic voting machines. The material had false allegations that were explained and denied by the press and the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
A year later, he is dedicated to influencing the course of his own country’s presidential race by acting as digital strategist for libertarian Javier Milei who, like Cerimedo, maintains ties with the family of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Milei has already said that she was a victim of electoral fraud in this year’s Argentine primaries, although she came first in the race. “I got 30%, but if there hadn’t been fraud, I would have gotten 35%,” said the Argentine candidate.
Strategy passes through ‘farm of detractors’
Fernando Cerimedo told the newspaper La Nation which makes use of “troll farms (detractors)” to engage its candidate and sponsor negative campaigns against opponents. The candidate has a strong presence on TikTok and YouTube.
“We do not invest campaign money in social media for the reason that it is not necessary. This is the reality”, said Cerimedo in an interview with the program Sólo Una Vuelta Más. “Anything you do without these accounts (trolls) won’t get engagement,” he added.
It was with this strategy that the businessman helped attract young voters on social media. With the support of youth and votes of indignation with Argentine politics, Milei achieved victory in the Primary, Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory (PASO) held in August.
VIDEO – Argentines go to the polls this Sunday
Cerimedo became influential among the South American far right. He says he worked on Bolsonaro’s first presidential campaign, in 2018, and also with José Antonio Kast’s candidacy, in the 2021 election in Chile.
In addition to having worked on Bolsonaro’s campaign, the political consultant says he has been friends with congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) since 2010. In October last year, shortly before the second round of elections, he received the congressman and his family in Buenos Aires.
Even with free traffic on the South American right, Cerimedo has said that Milei’s campaign will be his last work in politics. The businessman is cautious when asked if he would accept to hold a position in a possible Milei government and argues that he prefers to focus on business after the election.
VIDEO – Argentina goes to the polls this Sunday (22): see the proposals from Milei, Bullrich and Massa
Cerimedo also says he works for Milei’s campaign for free, as he believes in the candidate’s ideas. “I work ad honorem (without charging) for the campaign. I’m a businessman, I’m not a politician, I’m not interested in office. (I didn’t charge) because for a long time I worked for many politicians, for many years… And I got tired of discussing with my wife which country we were going to live in,” he told Sólo Una Vuelta Más.
Argentines return to the polls this Sunday, the 22nd. Milei is contesting the Casa Rosada with the government leader Sergio Massa and the right-wing Patricia Bullrich. If none of the candidates reaches 40% of the votes or a 10% difference over second place, there will be a second round on November 19th.
Source: CNN Brasil
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