The decision of the head of Government of the City of Buenos Aires,
Horacio Rodríguez Larreta
, to split the Buenos Aires elections generated a strong uproar in the opposition.
Various voices were raised with harsh questions and also expressions of support.
The national committee of the UCR endorsed the decision and maintained that "compliance with the Law and the electoral rules is the best way to show the country the path of change" (see below "The statement
of the UCR"
).
One of his references, the Buenos Aires senator
Martín Lousteau
, went even further: in addition to expressing his support for Rodríguez Larreta, the candidate for head of government ironically questioned Mauricio Macri's message in which he expressed his "disappointment" over the implementation of the concurrent election in the City.
"The City of Buenos Aires has always voted autonomously, it has always voted separately because that enables the debate to be better, for issues that matter to the people of Buenos Aires to be discussed. The commotion that is being generated is unintelligible," Lousteau
said
. during an interview with the LN+ channel.
"It is an option established by law. It is unheard of that such a commotion arises," he added.
Basing his argument on the fact that "the Electoral Code clearly indicates what must be done, and I think that is what the Head of Government decided", Lousteau appealed to historical tradition and recalled that "since the election of (Fernando) De la Rua , we always vote on a separate day."
Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and Martín Lousteau, at the Usina del Arte.
Although he made the caveat that it was always like that except "in the last election, because they temporarily suspended the use of the single ballot because (Mauricio) Macri wanted to hold the elections for a matter of electoral convenience", in the first Chicana addressed to the former
president
, one of those who was most in disagreement with the unfolding.
And deepening that line, he added: "I spoke at the time with Macri to explain to him why this was the alternative that best suited the Buenos Aires men and women. It is
striking that someone says that it is disappointing that the law is complied with
."
"Why can the former president be disappointed? Because we used the single ballot, which he promoted? Because the head of government acts in accordance with the electoral code? I don't know what the disappointment is, "
the
Buenos Aires pre-candidate ironized.
"Unless someone says
'I am disappointed that the election is transparent, I am disappointed that the rules are fair, I would prefer to bias the rules for my candidate'.
But if not, there is no reason for disappointment," he continued, always handling a ironic argument with a clear objective.
Lousteau also took the opportunity to differentiate himself from his main rival within Juntos por el Cambio, Jorge Macri, the cousin of the former president who seeks to occupy Rodríguez Larreta's chair and manage the city from the building on Uspallata street.
"I have been offered at some point to be a candidate in the province (of Buenos Aires) because I was president of the Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. But I said no," he said, referring to the fact that although Macri is from Buenos Aires, he comes from serving as mayor of the Buenos Aires party of Vicente López, a position for which he is on leave.
"Why? Because I wasn't born in the province, I didn't live in the province, even though I went to work every day for a period of my life, and I always lived in this city. Here I studied elementary school, here I studied high school I worked here," he added.
And at the end, he made it clear that the UCR is part of the current Buenos Aires government and that this administration is not exclusive to any of the parties that make up Together for Change.
"We have teams of ours that work in the City government. Because the City Government is a government of Together for Change, it is not a government of Pro," he concluded.
The statement of the UCR
The National Committee of the Radical Civic Union welcomes the decision taken by the City of Buenos Aires to comply with its legislation and call a concurrent election with a modern, transparent and efficient instrument such as the Single Ballot.
Both from our party and from the National Board of Together for Change we have always promoted electoral transparency to provide citizens with the best tools to cast their votes.
Thus, we have done it in the National Congress where we found the obstacles that the Kirchner majority placed on us and that prevented Argentines from voting in the national elections with a Single Ballot.
This year we have seen changes in the election rules in many provinces governed by the PJ: elimination of PASO, implementation of the slogan law and manipulation of electoral calendars.
Compliance with the Law and the electoral rules in the districts in which we govern is the best way to show the country the path of change and transformation that Together for Change proposes.
DD
look also
Despite strong internal resistance, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta confirmed that he is splitting the Buenos Aires elections
"What a deep disappointment", Mauricio Macri's harsh response after Horacio Rodríguez Larreta's announcement
