the fight between Mauricio Macri y Horacio Rodriguez Larreta due to the unfolding of the elections in the City, it is on its way to remain in a kind of electoral divorce in which the former president could support Patricia Bullrich in the STEP of Together for Change but without reaching a rupture of the PROas can be seen from his recent appearance before the “red circle” and the electoral assembly that is cooking in the Buenos Aires district.
In the midst of the tension that shakes the PRO Macri spoke to businessmen of industry, agriculture and construction at a lunch organized by the Inter-American Council of Commerce and Production (Cicyp) in La Rural. Over there avoided escalating the dispute with the Buenos Aires head of government and presidential candidate but at the same time left a phrase that several read as a nod to Bullrich.
“If we now have the courage to do the right thing, which is the opposite of political correctness, the future is ours,” said the former president, in line with the position usually represented by the president of the PRO and presidential candidate within Together for Change. He also predicted that the opposition alliance will end in a runoff with the libertarian Javier Milei
Later, he regretted the decision that Rodríguez Larreta made for the Buenos Aires elections but added that he hopes that now “everyone will focus again on what they want to be elected for.” He also said that Milei “is going to be a challenge for the candidate who wins the internal“. It was a way of put the handbrake to the fight but at the same time start to distance themselves from the candidacy of the head of government.
For his part, Larreta remains in the line of don’t respond to criticism of whoever its leader was and defend that the splitting of the vote in the City (with the candidates for head of government and president on separate ballots) was a legal obligation, regardless of whether it was more convenient for one candidate or another.
And meanwhile, the last definition matures, which can determine how far the internal one will go: whether or not to support Jorge Macri as the sole pre-candidate of the PRO in the City to compete with the radical Martin Lousteauas the former president has been demanding.
In the midst of the PRO crisis, Macri reappeared before businessmen and reiterated his criticism of Larreta, but the tension dropped
Macri puts a brake and Larreta matures a key definition for the inmate
After the decision on the Buenos Aires elections that Bullrich and Macri evaluated as a benefit for Lousteau, Larreta and Jorge Macri held a meeting that, according to sources familiar with the meeting consulted by iProfessional, “started off strong but It ended on good terms.” In fact, as this media reported, the former president’s cousin avoided hitting the mayor for his move.
The head of government keeps Fernán Quirós and Soledad Acuña in the race as pre-candidates for the PRO, but Jorge Macri traveled to the United States after that meeting with the confidence that, when the time came, will be chosen to go to PASO against Lousteau, with the support of Larreta.
Sources from the PRO slipped to iProfessional that If the presidential candidate decided to plant one of his own against Jorge Macri it would be “pulling the rope too much” internally with the former president in a very risky way for the party. They do not believe that Larreta will take that course and, within this framework, they maintain that the candidacy of the current Minister of Government will be the pledge of final unity.
In the City they look at surveys in which Jorge Macri and Quirós measure both very wellbut according to the sources consulted the cousin of the former president wins in voting intentionwhile the Buenos Aires Minister of Health gains in level of positive image. Qualitative surveys show that Quirós is not seen as someone who can manage issues such as security.
In addition, in the PRO they took note that Larreta clarified his opinion on Thursday about the possibility that Lousteau or another sector legally challenge Jorge Macri for the issue of his home: “What I said in some media is that if someone does a questioning, in the end a judge will have to give an opinion but my personal opinion is that Jorge can be a candidate“, he claimed.
¿Electoral divorce or rupture?
In recent days Jorge Macri had a meeting with Acuña and the idea of a possible formula was present. “He has a very good relationship with her and also with Quirós,” they say in their surroundings, where they avoid giving wind to speculation but show the attempt to stay out of the fight that broke out between Mauricio Macri, Bullrich and Larreta and contribute to lowering the tone.
Larreta’s definition of the candidacy of Jorge Macri, Fernán Quirós or Soledad Acuña will be key
If this scenario occurred, the fight between Macri and Larreta would be limited to the electoral, with the former president leaning -directly or indirectly- in favor of Bullrich in the PASO of August against the head of Government, but in the City the PRO would have resolved the crisis that was activated this week. Nor is it ruled out that at some point they make peace.
In the larretismo, meanwhile, they emphasize that both Quirós and Acuña are in the race today. Although the head of government has already announced that there will be only one PRO candidate, does not want to be rushed by Macri to define. He intends to resist the pressures in this regard. Another way to maintain your commitment to become a leader.
In any case, nobody wants a break in the PRO that would completely change the political map of Together for Change and the electoral scenario. And Macri also gave signs of that. An operator from the opposition alliance reflected before iProfesional: “Nobody breaks something with which they know they have a chance of winning.”
Climb Milei to face Larreta?
In the event organized by Cicyp, Macri was consulted about the fight with Larreta and confirmed that “he was wrong”, but also pointed out: “Building is not easy, the rivalry, the vehemence, the egos are there. But I am a lover of the competition. The tension will be there, I am confident that it will not reach places that are harmful to the coalition“.
“What I questioned is that have not worked as a team with the other candidates (Bullrich and María Eugenia Vidal), in that he was wrong, especially in not sitting with the two of them,” added the former president.
However, being Consulted by Milei, his opinion on libertarianism and the possibility that Together for Change will go to the ballot against him did not seem innocent: “Facing him is complicated, our candidate will have to demonstrate that beyond the intentions of rupture and change, we have the same, but with experience”.
Thus, the former president brought the eccentric economist who He usually criticizes Larreta in very harsh terms and praises Bullrich. In this sense, he also marked a clear line by stating: “More and more people are getting angry and who believe that everything should be dynamited, I believe that almost everything should be dynamited.”
Without saying so, Macri thus showed himself much closer to the “hard wing” of the opposition that he confronts, precisely, with Larreta. Almost a foretaste of the divorce that could be seen more clearly as the STEP approaches in which Together for Change will define its presidential candidate.
