Córdoba's Radicalism will experience an unprecedented episode: its president, Marcos Ferrer has decided not to support the only list of deputies that will compete in October. The ballot is led by Ramón Mestre, former capital city mayor, who became the sole candidate after a judicial process that eliminated any competition. Ferrer did not mince words and stated in advance that the electoral result will be "catastrophic."
The path to this scenario included judicial rulings that favored Mestre and left Generación X, the sector led by Rodrigo de Loredo, out of the race. After losing all appeals, this group withdrew its list and left the radical candidacy unopposed. Ferrer himself made it clear that, at least in his case, unity will not be a campaign value.
In his statements, Ferrer targeted federal judge Miguel Hugo Vaca Narvaja, whom he accused of dragging the party into an "unnecessary" process. He also suggested that there was complicity from internal sectors in this outcome, hinting that "radical purity" may have been mixed with external influences. The same old rumors about an alleged hand from the Córdoba PJ quickly began to circulate.
Ramón Mestre será quien encabece la lista radical cordobesa
Primaries solved without voting
The withdrawal of the Generación X list was confirmed by legislator Alejandra Ferrero, the group's legal representative, who strongly criticized the judicial decisions. The decision was made after the National Electoral Chamber refused to suspend the primaries, a request supported by the majority of the Party Congress. In a matter of hours, the internal competition became an administrative procedure to formalize Mestre.
This group denounced "extortion" by Más Radicalismo, the group led by Mestre, adding the accusation of "infiltrated Peronism" in the process. If the intention was to show a strong and cohesive Radicalism, the result seems more like a staging of conflicts and blame-shifting. In addition, complaints about external interference only reinforced the idea that the fight was not fought solely within the party.
In the political arena, the fact that Ferrer is withholding support from the only radical list marks an unusual break on the eve of the election. More than institutional backing, Mestre will face a campaign with the shadow of his own party president on the opposite side. With the persistent suspicion that, in this primary without primaries, some outside guests may have occupied preferred seats.
