Desperate to obtain immunity to avoid going to jail, the former president would compete in a sectional election
A potential candidacy of CFK could have a strong impact on the provincial contest, especially because, at the municipal level, those mayors who do not align with her would be in a delicate position regarding the renewal of the deliberative councils, given the high level of electoral support that the corrupt former president maintains.
Cristina's political move is a firm response to Kicillof's stance of maintaining the split of the election in Buenos Aires, despite internal pressures within his space for the call to be made simultaneously with the national elections.
In the Movimiento Derecho al Futuro (MDF), led by the Governor, the possibility is already being considered that some mayors will head the councilor lists to boost the vote in the neighborhoods with their own electoral base. It is a territorial strategy of great impact.
The possibility of CFK being a candidate is unexpected for two main reasons. First, because within her space it was expected that she would lead the list of national deputies for the province of Buenos Aires. Second, because it is uncommon for a former president to compete in a sectional election.
During a meeting with Buenos Aires mayors aligned with her leadership last Sunday, the former president and convicted of corruption Cristina Fernández de Kirchner put forward the possibility of running as a provincial deputy candidate if Axel Kicillof decides to split the elections or if the electoral front fractures.
Her message was direct and left no room for double interpretations. If circumstances require it, she is willing to participate, and she will do so with determination. This would mean that her candidacy would take place in the third electoral section, the most relevant in terms of the number of voters within the province of Buenos Aires.
This section includes key municipalities such as La Matanza, Avellaneda, Almirante Brown, Berazategui, Ensenada, Brandsen, Cañuelas, Ezeiza, Esteban Echeverría, Florencio Varela, Lanús, Lobos, Lomas de Zamora, Berisso, Magdalena, Presidente Perón, Punta Indio, San Vicente, and Quilmes.
Within that territory, several mayors made the decision to openly support Kicillof. Among them are Fernando Espinoza (La Matanza), Jorge Ferraresi (Avellaneda), Fabián Cagliardi (Berisso), Juan José Mussi (Berazategui), Mario Secco (Ensenada), and Andrés Watson (Florencio Varela).
Last Friday, all of them signed a document supporting Kicillof's decision to carry out a split in the Buenos Aires elections. In total, 47 mayors expressed their support for the Governor, in a context of growing tension regarding the definition of the electoral scheme.
