Manuel Adorni destroyed the other left-wing candidates in the CABA debate

In the countdown to the legislative elections in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, an intense debate took place this Tuesday among the 17 registered candidates competing. The broadcast, managed by Canal de la Ciudad, began at  8 p.m. with moderation by journalists Damián Glanz and Brenda Brecher, and was divided into four segments: introductions, presentation of proposals, cross-examination, and final statements.

The focus of the night, however, was clearly on Manuel Adorni, presidential spokesperson and candidate for La Libertad Avanza, who not only set the agenda with his statements prior to the debate but also became the center of attention for his sharp definitions, pointed criticisms, and firm support for the model led by Javier Milei.

Hours before the event, Adorni had already sparked controversy on his X account: "Heading to Canal de la Ciudad for the debate of candidates for Buenos Aires legislators. PRO promised to close this channel 17 years ago: today it allocates 4.5 billion pesos annually to its budget. Kirchnerism would fill it with cronies and activists if they could. We are going to close it."

This stance set the tone for his performance, where he left no topic unaddressed. "We have been governing for a year and five months and have achieved unbelievable accomplishments," he stated at the start of his presentation. He then defended the libertarian course:

"We are eradicating inflation, ending thousands of scams in the State, and even stopping the protests in the City of Buenos Aires. We are the only proven model to stop Kirchnerism."

During the question segment, Adorni dismantled with surgical precision the Kirchnerism attempts to question his platform. To the radical K Leandro Santoro, he retorted:

"In 2021 you were a candidate with Alberto, in 2023 with Massa, a major responsible for the destruction of this country. Aren't you ashamed to be a Kirchnerist?" Santoro had questioned the waste collection contract and proposed an investigative commission. But Adorni replied with data, memory, and force, exposing the inconsistency of the opposing discourse.

He also had no qualms about confronting Silvia Lospennato, a representative of PRO, who tried to take credit for the current Government's achievements. "We ended the protests, with Bullrich and Pettovello, not you. You had 17 years to do what you promise now. What did you do wrong between 2015 and 2019 for Kirchnerism to have the chance to come back and ruin the country?" he asked. Lospennato couldn't respond.

In another memorable exchange, Adorni replied to the far-left candidate Luca Bonfante, who had called him a  "crony": "Having a leftist call me a crony is a balm for the soul." He also took his turn in front of Federico Winokur (La Izquierda en la Ciudad) for a scathing irony:

"Thank you for dedicating the fifth anti-capitalist camp to me, where you charged admission and accepted Mercado Pago. I'm not going to ask you any questions because I believe a communist doesn't have the competence to hold any position."

Adorni also had a moment to respond to Buenos Aires legislator  Ramiro Marra, who asked if they would be willing to form an alliance: "We are the only force that can defeat Kirchnerism" and he concluded his intervention with a defense of his management proposals: "They increased the size of the State, political positions, and unnecessary expenses. Canal de la Ciudad is a case. Macri also proposed closing it. We are going to make it a reality."

The May 18 election is approaching, and while the rest of the candidates argued among themselves about generalities, Manuel Adorni made it clear that he represents the only serious, coherent, and effective project to stop the advance of populism and consolidate the transformation that Javier Milei is already carrying out at the national level.