Alberto Fernández's decision to get off his hypothetical candidacy for re-election decompressed the climate of Peronism in the run-up to the PJ Council, which will begin meeting in minutes.
Until well into Thursday afternoon, those loyal to the President were betting on delaying that definition until guidelines were agreed to govern internal competition in the face of the PASO.
The first item finally turned out to be the capitulation of the head of state, who still wants to project himself as the electoral setter of the ruling party.
It seems another chimera.
The President was one of the last to arrive at the renovated PJ headquarters on Matheu street.
He arrived at 6:10 p.m. from Olivos and after a stopover at La Rosada, accompanied by Agustín Rossi, Julio Vitobello and Victoria Tolosa Paz.
Half an hour before, his right-hand man, Santiago Cafiero, arrived on his own.
The chief of staff had already sincerely expressed his desire to compete if the president got out while the chancellor did not hide his predilection for ambassador Daniel Scioli, who before Fernández got out launched a campaign to request endorsements for his candidacy.
Deputy Chief of Staff Juan Manuel Olmos, who has increasingly close ties with Sergio Massa, and is a representative of the PJ, was one of the first to arrive.
Once again, Fernández, the highest authority of Peronism on paper, and his intimate circle would be a minority at the PJ headquarters on Matheu street, which brought together more than 70 counselors who attended in person or via zoom.
"There is no need for an obedient mechanism for Peronism to work. You have to set the rules of competition and move forward. Then, each space will present its candidates," they minimized at the president's small table, reduced to its minimum expression.
As in the table of the Frente de Todos, which was held in February, Kirchnerism will be overrepresented.
Governor Axel Kicillof and Eduardo de Pedro were the main delegates of Cristina Kirchner.
They arrived separately.
The governor, first, after visiting the Vice President in her office in Congress and Pedro's from Aeroparque.
The minister and virtual candidate walked 100 meters to enter on foot.
Before, the Minister of the Interior greeted the President's decision from Santiago del Estero.
The CGT, which -despite runaway inflation and the dollar- insists with nods to Sergio Massa, had two of its general co-secretaries at the meeting: Héctor Daer and Pablo Moyano.
Kirchnerism and a good part of the six governors that make up the Council and participated via zoom were preparing in advance to ask Fernández to get off.
It was not necessary.
Sergio Berni, one of the President's greatest detractors, was one of the first to arrive.
"Now a new electoral engineering begins," said the Buenos Aires minister.
Victor Santamaría and Eduardo Valdés also celebrated Fernández's decision.
"I value the decision. He did it in pursuit of unity, I would not like what is happening in JvC to happen. We want those who lose to accompany the one who wins," said the deputy before entering.
With the President's decision, in La Rosada they were enthusiastic about a kind of protocol procedure to convene the party Congress.
On the façade of the PJ building some of the posters that were placed for the February summit with the image of Cristina Kirchner and the legend "Proscription to hell" survived -damaged-, in addition to the eloquent banner "With a ban, there is no electoral strategy ".
Half of the counselors participate via zoom.
They must prove their identity and vote for the party balance through an app, an operation that could delay the meeting.
