Las strong tensions between the top referents of Pro for the electoral assembly of 2023” class=”com-link” data-reactroot=””>the electoral assembly of 2023 they are already indisguisable. With the presence of Mauricio Macriwho connected from Cumelén, the high command of the opposition party met this followingnoon to explore a strategy before the conflict escalation in the Together for Change scheme in the provinces that unfolded the elections. The Zoom summit became the battleground for a new fight between Patricia Bullrich y Horacio Rodriguez Larretacentral opposition figures who aspire to compete for the presidency.
The main focus of the tense discussion between Bullrich and Larreta was Mendozaone of the bastions of the UCR, where Omar de Marchihead of the local Pro and ally of Rodríguez Larreta, threatens to dispute Alfredo Cornejo and Rodolfo Suárez control of the province. “It was a war, unnecessary. Not worth it”, He commented, with concern, one of the attendees barely disconnected. Macri intervened in the debate, but tried to preserve the role of referee in the bid between his heirs.
De Marchi threatens to compete outside the front Cambia Mendoza with the argument that the opposition front lacks institutionality in that province. With Cornejo at the head, who decided to compete for Suarez’s succession, the radicalismo accuses the Pro leader of trying to break the alliance and be functional to Peronism.
Since the conflict broke out a couple of weeks ago, Patricia Bullrich, a close associate of Cornejo, led the crusade to avoid a break in Mendoza. He understands that this local wrestling in one of the JxC strongholds can damage the opposition coalition at the national level. His sides suspect that Larreta worked in the shadows to harm Cornejo and undermine his presidential project. Today, that underground fight with the Buenos Aires boss crystallized in the virtual meeting of the Pro bosses.
With Macri as a spectator, Bullrich ratified his position and faced Larreta: He accused De Marchi of installing a climate of rupture in Mendoza that might have consequences at the national level. The argument of the former Minister of Security is that in that province there is STEP, so Larreta’s ally has no excuses for not using that mechanism. Macri and Vidal, among other Pro authorities, shared that position. What’s more, the former president was pessimistic regarding the chance of an agreement between De Marchi and Cornejo, for which he suggested exploring a position. He made it clear that De Marchi had to compete in the primaries. The background of Rio Negro and Neuquenwhere JxC was divided and the internal regulations of the national table to define the candidacies were not complied with, complicate the assembly in Mendoza and Tucumanamong other districts. Yesterday, the heads of Pro also put the magnifying glass on Córdobawhere there was still no agreement.
The Buenos Aires chief, escorted by Diego Santilli and Eduardo Macchiavellisought to put cold cloths once morest the “anxiety” of Bullrich and the radicals to resolve the issue of Mendoza. He remarked that it was necessary to “defend federalism” and give autonomy to local Pro referents to discuss and negotiate with the UCR. Among the owners of Larreta, they maintain that there are two months left for the closing of lists in Mendoza, for which they consider that De Marchi has room to discuss with radicalism.
The president of Pro has another strategy: she insisted that it was necessary to define before the end of the month since seven municipalities of Mendoza advanced the elections. For this reason, leaders of the party founded by Macri asked for definitions from the leadership. “It’s crazy what they’re doing”they bellowed near Bullrich. The former minister intuits that Larreta activated an operation to wear her down and take away the chance of having Cornejo as a running mate. In macrismo, it is striking that Larreta has so emphatically defended De Marchi, given that with this move he might put his strategic alliance with a sector of the UCR at risk. Yes ok Gerardo Morales is confronted with Cornejo, asked to appease the conflict in one of the electoral strongholds of radicalism. What’s more, in one of the last meetings of the JxC national table he warned that that attitude of Pro might break the alliance at the national level.
However, in the hard wing of Pro, they do not rule out that Larreta acts with the covert blessing of Morales to harm his adversary in radicalism.
The tone of the discussion rose as the minutes passed and, since they might not reach an agreement, Bullrich proposed a vote.. She was confident that her position would prevail. The larretistas suggested that it did not seem appropriate to make a determination without consulting De Marchi once more. “We cannot buy the anxiety of the radicals. It is a trap”, they wielded. They insisted that the Pro should respect the autonomy of the provincial authorities and intervene when there are fifteen days left for the closing of lists in case there is no truce.
Finally, the heads of Pro decided that Macchiavelli and Federico Angelini, the representatives of the party founded by Macri in the committee that designed JxC to solve the armed forces in the provinces, will go to persuade De Marchi to find a solution. The head of Pro remarked that it was necessary to define between February 21 and 25, before D-Day, due to the closure of lists in seven districts. “They think that with this they are harming Patricia, but they are putting the national army at risk,” they affirm in the Bullrich bunker.
In Larreta’s environment they dismiss these claims. In fact, De Marchi argues that the elections in Mendoza are split, so a possible rupture will not affect the JxC national front. In the ranks of Larretismo they insist that they privilege the membership of Pro to the opposition conglomerate, but they consider that JxC is not constituted in the province governed by Suarez, since Pro, the CC and the Democratic Party are not members of the Cambia Mendoza front.
Larreta and his sides do not want to remain as promoters of a break, but They consider that Bullrich stopped acting as the head of Pro and moves the chips and weaves alliances inside with the seal of the party, but with a single objective: to strengthen his candidacy. That is, they believe that he puts his presidential project before the interests of the party.
De Marchi ties the integration of Pro to the local coalition – made up of Libres del Sur to the Socialist Party – to the plan presented by the UCR for the province. He asks to be in tune with the values of JxC.