Juan Manzur
wants to be a candidate for president.
The Chief of Staff no longer talks about his project
John XXIII of him
, which was aired as soon as he disembarked in the Casa Rosada and which aroused the anger of the President;
but he wastes no time and neither does he waste hope.
While the Frente de Todos is preparing to set up a table to agree on the electoral strategy of the ruling party, the governor on leave from Tucumán wastes no time and intensifies his tours of the suburbs and the interior of Buenos Aires.
"
Juan is crazy
," exaggerated a leader who accompanied him on some of his renewed tours of Buenos Aires regarding his desires.
In the Cabinet headquarters they seek to tone down the minister's aspirations and remember that he is a great connoisseur of the suburbs, where he took his first steps in big politics as Secretary of Health of La Matanza during the management of "his boss" Alberto Balestrini.
The friends and militant companions of Cristina Kirchner's former Health Minister do not hide his intentions.
“
He wants to be President and he is going to try
”, they point out.
The silent Manzur, who makes almost no statements, is preparing to leave his office in La Rosada, next to the President's, to concentrate on the campaign in Tucumán, where he will be a candidate for lieutenant governor.
It is an obligatory step in his adventure to climb the first step of his presidential chimera.
Weeks ago, in Mar del Plata,
posters appeared with the name
of "Good Pope", signed by the La Rucci group, of the unionist and deputy from Tucuman
Carlos Cisneros
, an eloquent nod to the aspirations of the Tucuman.
In order not to lose the illusion of succeeding Fernández, Manzur requires that the planets of the ruling party align or that the crisis of the ruling party become his opportunity.
Before that, he needs a resounding victory on May 14 for the ticket that will be headed by who until recently was his deputy and close enemy, the current acting governor
Osvaldo Jaldo
.
The road is not easy, in the 2021 legislative elections, the Frente de Todos won in Tucumán by just one point.
Close to the President they insist that the possibility of Manzur resigning to dedicate himself to the presidential campaign has already been settled.
They bet that a license will be requested, which will avoid tension between
Alberto Fernández and Cristina Kirchner
to define the eventual successor of the Tucuman.
In Manzur's environment, on the other hand, they are not so categorical.
“If it were up to him, he would have already returned to Tucumán.
It is not clear if the national license is feasible”, they state.
They argue legal and administrative impediments, because if the chief of staff returned to his province, he would not formally return to exercise the governorship, where he is also licensed.
The leaders who know Manzur the most maintain that, beyond the legal arguments,
the underlying issue is political
.
Two who want to be.
The Chief of Staff, Juan Manzur, together with the Minister of the Interior, Eduardo de Pedro.
In recent weeks, Manzur intensified his contacts with mayors of Greater Buenos Aires and visits to the suburbs.
10 days ago Mariano Cascallares toured works in Almirante Brown in the company of the Minister of Public Works Gabriel Katopodis.
This week it was Florencio Varela's turn, where he was accompanied by Andrés Watson and his predecessor,
Julio Pereyra
.
Manzur also begins to add the support of sectors of Peronism such as the
Evita Movement
.
In the coming weeks, the Chief of Staff will visit the south of Buenos Aires accompanied by his Secretary for Relations with Civil Society and a reference for the group, Fernando Navarro.
In the town of González Cháves, they will attend the inauguration of a municipal swimming pool and a Techint wind farm that required an investment of
US$ 250 million
.
Then you will disembark in Bahía Blanca.
They also plan `descents` to the municipalities of the first section of Buenos Aires and visits to Córdoba and Chubut.
His tours of the northern provinces will not stop either.
In the surroundings of the governor in use of license, they analyze that
Jorge Capitanich
from Chaco will concentrate on
retaining Chaco
.
In Manzur's team, which this Friday (like almost all) traveled to Tucumán to lead a political act of the local PJ, they affirm that the virtual candidate does not plan disruptive positioning actions before May 14.
The usual photos with the Minister of the Interior
Eduardo "Wado" de Pedro
were discontinued.
The chief of staff and the main delegate of the vice president in La Rosada share his political aspirations.
Manzur has long since restored his relationship with CFK.
Even when he considered preemptively leaving his position, he remained at the express request of the vice president.
Whatever happens in the coming months, Manzur will have a guaranteed job in 2023, win or lose the elections in Tucumán.
National senator Pablo Yedlin will be the first candidate for provincial legislator and the chief of staff is his first substitute to replace him in the Upper House.
