After months of tense negotiations and threats of rupture, Peronism finally managed to seal an agreement to present unity lists ahead of the legislative elections on October 26.
The decision became known at midnight on Sunday, August 17, when Kirchnerism, under the banner of Fuerza Patria, selected its main candidates in the country's most relevant districts. However, far from showing cohesion, the closing of the lists revealed an ongoing internal conflict that seems to have erupted once again.
In the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA), the list of national deputies will be headed by Itai Hagman, a leader of Frente Patria Grande. Meanwhile, for the Senate, the ticket will be led by Mariano Recalde, current Kirchnerist senator who will seek to renew his seat.
In Buenos Aires province, the country's largest and a key district for any electoral strategy, the list of deputies will be headed by the former far-left militant, Jorge Taiana, followed by the massista leader María Jimena López. In third place appears the leftist Juan Grabois, leader of Patria Grande.
Cristina Kirchner, condenada por corrupción.
New internal conflict in Peronism
However, after the Kirchnerist candidates became known, sources revealed that in the Movimiento Evita, led by Emilio Pérsico, there is strong discontent over being left out of the list.
"There's a lot of anger, they say the list belongs to CFK and Massa, that they were left out like the axelismo and that the strategy is to lose," confessed a journalist familiar with the matter. The anger also extends to sectors close to Governor Axel Kicillof, who felt sidelined and would be blamed for the very likely defeat due to the electoral split.
Axel Kicillof, gobernador bonaerense.
La Libertad Avanza
Meanwhile, within Peronism many privately admit that the scenario is uphill: La Libertad Avanza, the party of President Javier Milei, appears as the favorite in much of the country. The widespread perception is that society will value at the polls the decline in inflation and will reward the government with a significant number of votes, making it even more difficult for Kirchnerism's chances.
In this context, the closing of Peronism's lists managed to avoid a split, but did not dispel the internal conflicts. The October elections will test whether the forced unity is enough to withstand the libertarian advance or if internal tensions end up further weakening the group.
