Argentina’s presidential election race has taken shape as candidates have been officially announced.
Sergio Massa, the Economy Minister, has emerged as the consensus candidate for the ruling coalition, Unión por la Patria, replacing a previously expected internal contest.
The opposition coalition, Juntos por el Cambio, will hold a heated primary election, while the libertarian party, led by Javier Milei, seeks to improve its performance after disappointing provincial election results.
Initially, there seemed to be an internal dispute within the ruling party between the Argentine ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Scioli, and the Minister of the Interior, Eduardo “Wado” de Pedro.
However, after extensive discussions, the coalition chose Sergio Massa as their candidate, with support from the president, vice president, and aligned provincial governors.
Juan Grabois, a prominent left-wing figure, announced that he would not support Massa and instead entered the primary as the candidate leading the Justa y Soberana group.
The primary election candidates are as follows:
Unión por la Patria: Sergio Massa as the presidential candidate, with Agustín Rossi, the Chief of Cabinet, as his running mate.
Juntos por el Cambio: The main opposition coalition will hold a primary election with two competing tickets led by Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, the Head of Government of Buenos Aires, and Patricia Bullrich, former Minister of Security.
Gerardo Morales and Luis Petri are their respective vice-presidential candidates.
La Libertad Avanza: The libertarian party’s candidate is Javier Milei, accompanied by Victoria Villarruel.
Hacemos Por País: The “dissident Peronism” party will be represented by Juan Schiaretti, the governor of Córdoba province, with Florencio Randazzo as his vice-presidential candidate.
Left and Workers’ Front-Unity: There will be an internal contest within the left wing between Myriam Bregman, Nicolás del Caño, Gabriel Solano, and Vilma Ripoll.
Massa’s selection as the ruling coalition’s candidate is expected to bring more competitiveness to the election.
However, his performance will be closely tied to the country’s challenging economic situation, characterized by high inflation rates.
In the opposition coalition, the primary election between Rodríguez Larreta and Bullrich is anticipated to be closely contested, with the potential for voters to gravitate towards the libertarian candidate, Javier Milei.
Milei aims to attract those who are disillusioned with the dominant political fronts.
Overall, the candidates’ positions and internal dynamics reflect the evolving landscape of Argentine politics, with diminished influence from former presidents Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Mauricio Macri, and the emergence of new players like the libertarians.