Concurrent elections: in the Buenos Aires government they replicated Macri’s criticism and affirmed that there is no change in the rules

Mauricio Macri and Horacio Rodríguez Larreta (Franco Fafasuli)

Mauricio Macri left a clear message this morning: he is against a change in the voting system in the city of Buenos Aires. That message was addressed to the head of the Buenos Aires government, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, and also to radicalism, which is pressing to maintain the political agreement with Martín Lousteau through a form of concurrent voting. That is to say, a mixed system, where the national candidacies (president and national deputies) would be voted with traditional sheet ballot; while for local candidacies (Head of Government, legislators and community members) the Single Paper or electronic Ballot would be used.

Thus, the national candidacies would be disconnected from the Buenos Aires categories, and the candidates would not have the drag effect of the presidential candidate.

“I don’t think Horacio would do that, it would be going against the neighbors. It is more state spending, more voting time, more lines; It would be going against everything we have been working on these years,” Macri said today on Rivadavia radio. And he added: “You don’t have to change electoral rules in the same year and you don’t have to do it because of speculation on one side thinking that something will change, complicating people’s lives.”

Despite this strong questioning, Rodríguez Larreta’s entourage pointed out that this possibility does not represent a “change in the rules of the game” because it respects the current electoral code that was approved by a large majority by the Legislature in October 2018. “The decision corresponds to him by law to the Head of Government; It is his power, and it is a sign of authority, independence and autonomy, ”they pointed out from the Uspallata headquarters before the Infobae query.

Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and Martín Lousteau

“Those who, like Macri, promote unified national voting do not realize that the savannah ballot (hooked on the national) can cause the majority in the Legislature to be lost, since (Javier) Milei would drag the list of legislators and their candidate for Head of Government and, then, make the City ungovernable that they believe they have deeded. Contrary to the argument that they want to benefit Lousteau that they are trying to install, what they are looking for is to take care of the PRO vote ”, they added.

Beyond this position, the decision of Larreta and his closest officials will be not to respond to Macri openly, especially so as not to enlarge the internal one in the PRO and in Together for Change in times of definitions for the elections. “The decision I make is not against anyone, quite the opposite,” they insisted.

Macri wants to impose his cousin, Jorge, as successor in CABA. Rodríguez Larreta was in charge of promoting his officials Fernán Quirós and Soledad Acuña, although last week he confirmed that there will be only one PRO candidate for the PASO.

Mauricio Macri with his cousin Jorge

It may interest you: Martín Lousteau does not rule out moving away from the fight for the succession of Larreta and going for a presidential candidacy

In another passage of the report, Macri emphasized that a concurrent election “has never been held before in the city” and affirmed that “if politics thinks that by changing electoral rules the porteños are going to choose in a certain way, it is not knowing the porteños, that they are autonomous, independent”.

As established by the National and local Electoral Code, the city of Buenos Aires has a period of 120 days before the election is held to make the call. In other words, it is still within the legal deadlines to unfold the elections, as happened in 2015. At that time, the PASOs were held on April 26, the first round on July 5, and the second round on July 19, where Rodríguez Larreta beat Lousteau by a minimal difference.

Horacio Rodríguez Larreta announced that the PRO will have a single candidate in the PASO of the city of Buenos Aires

In tune with his questions, other PRO leaders joined Macri’s speech. “In the PRO we always opposed manipulating the electoral rules to favor any particular candidate. I don’t think that will change in an election year,” said former senator Federico Pinedo.

The former Secretary General of the Presidency, Fernando De Andreis, added: “Please, let’s not do what we criticize so much! Electoral participation is an unjustified expense for the city government in one of the most sensitive social and economic moments in the history of our country”.

Meanwhile, the vice president of the PRO, Federico Angelini, close to Patricia Bullrich, indicated: “Ambition cannot be above the values ​​of Together for Change. A rule change cannot be made in an election year, without planning, without advance notice and generating more inefficient spending”.

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Strong message from Macri to Larreta for the possible unfolding of the elections in CABA: “There is no need to change electoral rules”

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