In 2024, he had supported suspending them for the 2025 elections, but now he rejects permanently eliminating them and challenges the government of Javier Milei
The determined advance of the liberal Government led by President Javier Milei seeks the definitive elimination or suspension of the Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory Primaries (PASO), within the framework of a profound political and institutional reform aimed at eradicating superfluous public spending and modernizing the electoral system. However, this virtuous plan of institutional austerity stumbles upon the inexplicable and self-interested political shift of former President Mauricio Macri, who has gone from questioning the cost of the primary elections to becoming the main defender of maintaining the PASO in force.
Despite the fact that Mauricio Macri was previously in favor of eliminating the PASO, today his position has taken a complete turn to block the initiative promoted by the Executive Power. In a departure that undermines the banners of "kirchnerism Never Again" and attempting to distance himself from the libertarians after sending diplomatic greetings to the dictator Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva in Brazil, the leader of PRO decided to cool any electoral understanding between his space and La Libertad Avanza (LLA).
Mauricio Macri
During a meeting with the leadership of PRO, where he called upon Cristian Ritondo, Guillermo Montenegro, Soledad Martínez, and María Eugenia Vidal, Mauricio Macri openly challenged the government by exclaiming "Let the government gather the votes". Furthermore, the former president emphasized internally that "the national agreement will not be defined this year" and asserted that "there are no advances" to finalize an electoral alliance in this 2026 looking towards the elections of 2027.
The obstructive maneuver of macrismo contrasts with the intense operational work developed at Balcarce 50, where the libertarian political table held a key 2-hour summit led by Karina Milei, Luis "Toto" Caputo, Diego Santilli, Patricia Bullrich, Martín Menem, and Eduardo "Lule" Menem. After this meeting, officials Diego Santilli, Martín Menem, and Eduardo "Lule" Menem met with the yellow representatives Cristian Ritondo and Fernando de Andreis to formally request the vote of the PRO bloc in favor of the elimination of the primaries.
Mauricio Macri
In response to the request, the parliamentary representatives of the yellow party initially stated they were "willing to support" if consensus was reached in the Upper House, affirming that "We started talking, it was an initial approach. We will see what text comes out of the voting in the Upper House", although the final decision of Mauricio Macri ended up paralyzing the negotiation.
On the federal level, the demand of Javier Milei's Government to suspend or eliminate the PASO is gathering valuable support from governors aligned with the change. Provincial leaders such as Rogelio Frigerio (Entre Ríos), Marcelo Orrego (San Juan), Juan Pablo Valdés (Corrientes), and Raúl Jalil (Catamarca) have publicly expressed their strong support for eradicating a costly mechanism that burdens the electorate. This list is joined by Alfredo Cornejo (Mendoza), Carlos Sadir (Jujuy), Maximiliano Pullaro (Santa Fe), and Leandro Zdero (Chaco), supporters of the suspension, while leaders like Osvaldo Jaldo (Tucumán) and Martín Llaryora (Córdoba) have chosen to remain inflexible regarding the modification of the system.
The president, Javier Milei.
The halt imposed by the leadership of Mauricio Macri is situated within a complex legislative scenario where the Chamber of Deputies faced an extensive session of over 20 hours to address the Inviolability of Private Property, while macrismo demanded modifications to the biofuels law arguing that "We told them that the law affects producers in the province of Buenos Aires. It benefits Córdoba and Santa Fe, but we must also think about the people of Buenos Aires".
Furthermore, while the Law on Defense of National Sovereignty related to the Malvinas Islands was postponed and delays in parliamentary treatment are expected due to the imminent visit of Pope Leo XIV and trips to Washington for the elections in the United States, the Government of Javier Milei reaffirms its unwavering determination to fight the cultural and political battle to definitively end the PASO. From the Casa Rosada, the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, leads the official strategy with the active collaboration of the Minister of Economy, Luis "Toto" Caputo, the Chief of Staff, Diego Santilli, and Senator Patricia Bullrich, who are working to strengthen support in the Senate before the legislative period concludes or to address the measure simultaneously with the 2027 Budget.
