The head of government is thinking not only about the elections, but also about the day after. The UCR, key factor. Meeting with Jorge Macri and tension
By Pablo Sieira
10/04/2023 – 16,00hs
The decision of the Buenos Aires head of government and presidential candidate, Horacio Rodriguez Larretaof unfolding the vote in the City on election day blew up the internal PRO because it raises a serious fight over leadership of the party However, and despite the criticism, he is not limited to the electoral race but rather points to the day after, when he supposes that it will be his turn to govern the country.
Larreta challenged the leadership that the former president Mauricio Macri tried to revalidate in recent weeks by granting what the radical pre-candidate for head of government was asking for, Martin Lousteau: match the STEP with the PRO applicant -be it Jorge Macri or another- through a separation between the presidential ballot and that of mayor of Buenos Aires to avoid the “drag” effect.
Despite the fact that both Macri, as well as the PRO presidential candidates, Patricia Bullrich and María Eugenia Vidal, questioned the decision, describing it as a “change of rules” motivated by individual interest, Rodríguez Larreta aims to take care of a link with the UCR that he considers strategic to be able to govern the country as of December.
In Larretismo they consider that it will be necessary “a multicolored governmentof true coalition” for “take the country forward”, this is, moving forward with the laws and reforms they believe are necessary, according to sources consulted by iProfessional. In that framework, the presence of radicalism both territorially and in Congress, and the growing Lousteau’s influence in its structure are central elements.
Larreta’s decision for the elections in the City: does it really harm the PRO?
This explains the marked difference between the reaction of the referents of the PRO and that of some leaders of radicalism, who praised the decision of Rodríguez Larreta and they lined up behind his argument: that it is not a rule change because the system adopted is part of the Buenos Aires Electoral Code and that the single electronic ballot that will be used in the City is one of the banners of Together for Change.
However, not all the PRO took the announcement in the same way. Jorge Macriwho could be pointed out as the main victim, expected Larreta’s decision despite not agreeing with it, because he always understood the national strategy of the current head of government and his need to “maintain the relationship with Lousteau”, as he could check this medium.
Larreta confirmed his decision in defiance of Macri and gave a signal about his vision for an eventual national government
That is why, once the decision announced by the head of government on Monday, Jorge Macri, was known did not criticize it with the same harshness as the national referents, who spoke of “deception” and “trap”. “The statements of Mauricio, Vidal and Patricia were already quite strong, with them it is clear what the PRO thinks,” they commented around them.
The former president’s cousin and pre-candidate for head of government is holding a meeting with Rodriguez Larreta post announcement to chat “details” about what the Portuguese PASO will be, according to iProfesional.
Close to the current Minister of Government They believe that everything is given for him to be the only PRO candidate against Lousteau with the permission of Rodríguez Larreta and that the decision so questioned by national referents is, in reality, one more step towards that definition.
However, as the hours go by, the rejection of Larreta’s decision by those who support Jorge Macri increased the tension between them and opened the range of possible reactions in which the eventual resignation of the former president from the Buenos Aires Cabinet was included.
Behind the announcement: sign of leadership and government strategy
Rodríguez Larreta had time until Thursday to announce his decision that the City vote for the head of government with a single electronic ballot and for president with the traditional sheet ballot, but he decided to do so one day after Macri publicly expressed his disagreement with the system of “concurrent” choices that Lousteau also posed to him.
Thus marked even more than the another reason for his announcement was to give a clear signal regarding the leadership within the PRO. In case there were any doubts, from his environment the phrase “he does not want to be Alberto Fernández de Mauricio” came out, an allusion to the stormy relationship of the President with Vice President Cristina Kirchner, Macri’s counterpart, which affected the entire administration of the Government.
Macri wanted his cousin to be the only PRO candidate in the City due to the mistrust generated by the closeness between Larreta and Lousteau. The head of government would be in the process of grant him that wish but made it clear that the decision on how to vote in the Federal Capital is exclusively yourswithout guardianships.
The internal message of the PRO is strong and shows, once again, that Larreta’s decision is part of the electoral situation but he has an eye on the day after the elections, where if he becomes president he will not admit attempts to establish a “double command”.
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