Argentines elect a new president this year, and all pre-candidates have already been defined. In the country, there is a primary vote that defines the presidential candidates of each political group that will dispute the elections – even if there is already a single candidate for that party or coalition.
The primaries in Argentina are called Paso (Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory Primaries), as they are open and mandatory to all Argentine voters. This year, in addition to the candidates for the Mercosur Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, the primaries will also define who will run for president and vice-president of the Argentine Nation.
Only those who participate in the primaries can compete in the elections – whose registrations closed on the last 23rd. Therefore, the pre-candidates for the presidency have already been defined.
The Paso will take place on the 13th of August and will define the candidates of the political groups that will dispute the general elections of the 22nd of October.
See the main names and also which are the favorites:
Sergio Massa
The Minister of Economy of Argentina will be the candidate for the presidency of the ruling party in the next elections, as confirmed by the “Union for the Homeland” coalition. Agustín Rossi was chosen as runner-up on the ticket.
In this way, the governing party, identified with Peronism, downgraded the previously announced candidacies of the ambassador in Brazil, Daniel Scioli, and of the current Minister of the Interior and man of confidence of Cristina Kirchner, Eduardo “Wado” de Pedro. Everything seemed set, with the government officials closing the issue with the Minister of Economy, but at the last minute one of the leading parties decided to launch a pre-candidacy, which will clash with Massa in Paso.
Juan Grabois
At the last minute, the Electoral Board of the Unión por la Patria made official the “Just and Sovereign” list in which the social leader Juan Grabois presents himself as a pre-candidate, with María Paula Abal Medina as his vice-president. The list was qualified to participate in the governing party’s primaries.
At just 40 years old, Grabois is an active social leader. He is the founder of the Movement of Excluded Workers (MTE), of the Confederation of Workers of the Popular Economy (CTEP) -currently UTEP- and of the Front Pátria Grande. In addition, he is a member of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development. He works as a professor of Theory of the State at the Faculty of Law of the University of Buenos Aires.
Horacio Larreta
The “Together for Change” coalition has two pre-candidates. The mayor of the city of Buenos Aires is one of them. He is in his second term, is 57 years old, and was chief of staff for the then mayor of the Argentine capital, Mauricio Macri, from 2008 to 2015.
Larreta was already in the Justicialist Party, known as the Peronist, but took a different path. Still among the Peronists, he founded the Sophia Group, an institution created to train political leaders. With his departure from the party, he approached Mauricio Macri with whom he helped found the Republican Proposal party (PRO), which was victorious in the executive elections of the City of Buenos Aires in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 and in the presidential elections of 2015.
Patricia Bullrich
The other option is one of the coalition leaders. Until April, he was president of the Republican Proposal (PRO), a party that Larreta founded with Macri and of which they are still a part today.
She was a federal deputy for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires in the periods 2007-2015 and 1993-1997. She served as Minister of Labor between October 2000 and October 2001; Minister of Social Security between October and November 2001; and Secretary of Criminal Policy between 1999 and October 2000. She also held the National Security portfolio during the presidency of Mauricio Macri (2015-2019).
Javier Milei
He is the candidate of the extreme right, for the coalition “A Liberdade Avança”. He was elected federal deputy in 2022, is 52 years old and owns an exalted rhetoric.
Some of Milei’s proposals were the subject of strong controversy, such as the extinction of the Argentine Central Bank, the end of compulsory public education and even the creation of a debate on the sale of children.
Always criticizing traditional politicians, more conventional economists and the media in general, he galvanized his image as an anti-establishment candidate.
other candidates
In addition to the Peronist Sérgio Massa, there are other left-wing candidates for the presidency. The coalition “Left and Workers Front – Unity” (FIT-U) has two candidates.
One of them is Gabriel Solano, 49 years old. He has been deputy of the city of Buenos Aires since 2021 and president of the Labor Party since 2019.
The other is Myriam Bregman, federal deputy since 2021. She is part of the Socialist Workers Party and is 51 years old.
favorites
Shortly after the deadline for registration of pre-candidates, the first opinion poll on the favorites for the Paso and also for the presidential elections was released.
Research released last week by CB Consultoria points out that Massa leads with 24.1% of the votes, followed by Bullrich, with 17.3% of the intentions. The controversial Milei appears in third, with 17.2%, just ahead of Larreta, with 16.5%.
Following this trend, we would have a presidential election with Massa, Bullrich and Milei, with Larreta being defeated in the primaries.
If the question about candidates is favorable to the government candidate, the same cannot be said about another approach of the research. Asked which coalition they would vote for in the October elections, Together for Change, by Bullrich and Larreta, is ahead with 33.8%, Unión por la Patria is second with 29.1% of intentions and the ticket “A Liberdade Avança ” gets 17.2%.
That is, regardless of who is chosen on the ticket Together for Change – whether Patricia Bullrich or Horacio Larreta – he must attract the votes of the other pre-candidate and remain in the lead.
(With collaboration from Fábio Mendes)
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
