Argentina Elections 2023: the main candidates for president, head of the Buenos Aires government and governorships

(CNN Spanish) — There are just over five months left for the Primary, Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory elections (PASO), through which the candidates will be chosen among whom will be defined who will be the president of Argentina as of next December 10.

In addition, other public offices will be voted on at the national, provincial level and in the City of Buenos Aires. After the PASO, the general elections are expected to be held in October and, in case there is no winner in the first round, the balloting would take place in November.

But before advancing in the 2023 electoral calendar in Argentina, the political spaces must define which of their referents will face each other at the polls in the PASO to establish the candidacies.

Presidential candidates: the names that sound the most

Something striking at this point is that no clear figures appear in the ruling party at the moment for the inmates in August. In fact, President Alberto Fernández, who governs with the Frente de Todos coalition, has neither affirmed nor denied that he is going to run for re-election.

In October 2022, when journalists asked him about the issue, Fernández assured that “the discussion is not whether I am re-elected or not, but what country we want.” In December, in an interview for the Financial Times, the president stated that “with all the problems that Argentina has, I am not thinking about re-election.” However, in a more recent report, in February of this year on Urbana Play radio, there was a twist in his speech, and he opened the door to an eventual pre-candidacy. “Surely it will be seen (in a primary). Let people think. Since when are we afraid of people having an opinion?” He said.

Other names that appear in the Frente de Todos are those of the Minister of the Interior, Eduardo “Wado” De Pedro, who is very close to Kirchnerism, and the Minister of Economy and leader of the Frente Renovador, Sergio Massa, although neither has made a formal statement. about. And, of course, someone inescapable in the debate on the pro-government front is the former president and current vice president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who –in the midst of the legal proceedings she is facing– has denounced being the victim of political persecution and being banned from facto, for which she announced that she will not be a candidate “for anything” in 2023.

In contrast to what happens with the representatives of the Government, in the opposition there are already some definitions for the presidential elections. Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, current head of Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, officially launched his presidential campaign on February 23.

For her part, although there has not yet been an official launch, the former Minister of Security and president of the PRO, Patricia Bullrich, has been working on typical campaign activities for months. Another reference from Together for Change who announced her candidacy is Elisa Carrió. The leader of the Civic Coalition said on Miter radio that she wants “a great electoral offer in presidential and governor matters, and unity for the lists of legislators.”

As is the case with Cristina Kirchner in the ruling party, the main opposition front also has a leadership that prevails beyond those mentioned. At the moment, former president Mauricio Macri has not stated whether he will compete in the elections or accompany any of the pre-candidates, while the former governor of the province of Buenos Aires and current deputy, María Eugenia Vidal —who has expressed her intention to run— said to Channel 3 that “If Mauricio (for Macri) is a candidate, I am not going to compete.”

The arc of the most important spaces that will compete for the presidency closes with the La Libertad Avanza party, whose reference is Javier Milei, and the Left Front, which could present separate formulas for the PASO, representing the Party of the Socialist Workers (PTS), the Polo Obrero and the Socialist Movement of Workers (MST).

Election of Buenos Aires head of government: who will be candidates in the City of Buenos Aires?

With Horacio Rodríguez Larreta out of the panorama of the City of Buenos Aires, due to his presidential candidacy and the impossibility of running for a new re-election —as established by the Constitution—, in 2023 the people of Buenos Aires will change their head of government.

In the official space, one of the first to enter the arena was the Minister of Health, Fernán Quirós, who has the support of Rodríguez Larreta. The name of Jorge Macri, cousin of the former president, former mayor of Vicente López and current minister of the Buenos Aires Government, also sounds strong.

On the side of the Frente de Todos, the former Minister of Women, Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta, and the current Minister of Sports and Tourism, Matías Lammens, who lost in the ballot against Rodríguez Larreta in the 2019 Buenos Aires election, have already ratified their launches. fix your candidacy on the main opposition list is the national deputy Leandro Santoro.

Governor’s Elections: Strong Candidates in Buenos Aires

If the Frente de Todos has not yet announced names for the presidential elections, the province of Buenos Aires, the country’s electoral stronghold, is no exception. However, for now, the expected candidacy of Governor Axel Kicillof appears in his sights, seeking re-election.

While in Together for Change, the participation of the former deputy head of the Buenos Aires government, Diego Santilli, has already been confirmed, and figures such as Cristian Ritondo, Martín Tetaz, Emilio Monzó and others appear as virtual competitors.

In 21 of the 23 provinces of the country a new governor will be elected (Corrientes and Santiago del Estero voted in 2021). In addition, mayors, legislators and municipal councilors, among other elective positions, will be voted in the provinces.

Although not all the names that will occupy the lists have yet been defined, it is clear that in 2023 Argentines will be going through a hectic electoral calendar.