Axel Kicillof gathered his political team and government employees amid the undeniable Peronist internal strife and sought to contain the leaders of the Movement for the Right to the Future, the space he is trying to build as a vehicle to confront the Kirchnerism of Cristina Kirchner and Máximo Kirchner.
The meeting took place in La Plata, at the headquarters of "La Patria es el Otro," the group of Minister Andrés “Cuervo” Larroque, and was attended by mayors, ministers, national and provincial legislators. The meeting lasted almost four hours and aimed to deny the internal conflict and organize his narrative as a candidate.
Kicillof alongside Veronica Magario, Gabriel Katopodis, and other aligned politicians
The movement came after several days of clashes within Peronism. First, Máximo Kirchnerpointed at the sectors that talk about unity but “don’t even go to see Cristina.” Then, the Evita Movement openly backed Kicillof and challenged the national deputy to compete in the primaries: “Axel is our candidate,” declared Eduardo “Cholo” Ancona, general secretary of the Evita Movement.
With that context in mind, Kicillof urged his supporters “not to fall into provocations” and to avoid letting the public discussion get caught up in the internal fight with other sectors of Peronism. The governor sought to establish that the only relevant dispute should be against Javier Milei, after being hit by the statements.
The Buenos Aires governor insisted that he "does not want to be absorbed by the discussion of candidacies" and emphasized that the Movement for the Right to the Future (MDF) must focus on building a political alternative with him as the leader. “We are not discussing candidacies,” he stated to his team, while calling for prudence and territorial organization.
Axel Kicillof, at today's event
The message served as a signal to La Cámpora and Máximo. While the hardline Kirchnerism pressures for Cristina Kirchner to maintain absolute centrality in the space, Kicillof seeks to show autonomy, but without daring to break publicly.
Pure Kirchnerism insists that Kicillof would not be the favorite candidate of the condemned. At the same time, historically aligned sectors with hardline Kirchnerism, such as the Evita Movement, are starting to openly play for the governor: now he has the positions and funding for his groups.
