"Nothing is closed" is the phrase repeated by a Massista leader, a camporista and an official close to the President of the Nation.
In this climate of uncertainty typical of any electoral closure, the Frente de Todos defines the main boxes of its national list, where it will try to enter the second round or runoff for the presidential fight.
In any case, all internal sectors know that the word of greater authority will be that of Cristina Elisabet Kirchner: who occupied the Presidency twice and is currently the Vice, will bless a cast for the payroll of President as well as that of governor, senator and national deputy for the province of Buenos Aires.
For that, CFK reached an absolute coordinated operating agreement with Sergio Tomás Massa. But he did not guarantee the economy minister that he would be the "chosen one" for the bigger fight. And we will have to see how the warning made this Friday by Cecilia Moreau, a direct collaborator of Massa, who said that the minister "did not rule out" leaving the government, something clearly related to the Peronist electoral definition, impacts the mood of the former head of state.
Given that, Cristina navigates between three alternatives. Sergio Massa, Wado de Pedro and Axel Kicillof.
The head of Economy is respected for having sat in the electric chair after the departure of Martín Guzmán. His audacity is valued by Christianity. But the inflation numbers and the non-resolution of an understanding with the IMF have prevented Massa from becoming the "only candidate" and undisputed FDT.
Wado de Pedro, Malena Galmarini and Axel Kicillof, together
On the trip to China, the Tigrean polished many aspects of the Peronist political negotiation with Máximo Kirchner, the minister's special guest, and with the deputy chief of the national cabinet Juan Manuel Olmos. But nothing was confirmed there: the presidential fight is still pending who will be the head of the Peronist list.
Axel Kicillof is the name that, for the majority of Kirchnerism, manages to converse all the votes that CFK could obtain in a national election. But the Buenos Aires governor does not want to go for that category and his word is heard by Cristina as that of few people. The fact that Kicillof does not want to contest the presidency (where the chances of getting it are very unlikely for Peronism) has generated discomfort of magnitude. In the first place, of Máximo Kirchner. Massa, carefully, has also outlined that the UBA economist is not available for the need of the "set".
Peter's Wado is the other instance. Today he is the one who runs as "the" candidate of CFK. In the last hours, a measurement of the consultancy ARESCO (the Aurelio family is a traditional pollster of Peronism) was known.
In its latest monthly measurement, ARESCO recorded a growth in the positioning and voting intention of the Minister of the Interior receiving 15.8% of votes, above Daniel Scioli with 11.6%. This shows 5 points more for De Pedro than in his previous study from mid-May.
The bad news for the Frente de Todos is that, in this way, the total of the FdT in the PASO is 27.4%, very similar to the voting intention of Javier Milei, with 27.6%, and below Together for Change, which achieves 29.1%. In other words, Peronism in third place.
Sergio Massa and Eduardo "Wado" De Pedro at the inauguration of the Mercedes train to Tomás Jofré.
Cristina studies the three options and also asked to analyze how to lower the list of Daniel Osvaldo Scioli, who wants to compete in a PASO. The Kirchners and Massas see the hand of Alberto Fernández in that electoral venture and see him as the "campaign manager" of the ambassador to Brazil.
So far, Scioli is holding on. It is shown with Victoria Tolosa Paz, who challenges Axel Kicillof in the Province. Close to the Minister of Social Development they affirm that the relationship of the wife of Pepe Albistur maintains fluid dialogue with Máximo Kirchner. CFK's son wants Kicillof in the presidential fight while encouraging Wado's growth in exposure. Peronist dualities.
Victoria Tolosa Paz with Daniel Scioli.
A fact is that Alberto Fernández visited this Thursday the Buenos Aires town of Pilar, in an act where Daniel Scioli was but from which the local mayor Federico Achaval was absent, faithful to Cristina and oiled relationship with Martín Insaurralde. The Buenos Aires cabinet chief (and head of Lomas de Zamora) is the one who today moves the urban agenda to Wado de Pedro, but who is a friend of Massa for years. Today, Insaurralde orders the intendantism in favor of Wado. In La Matanza, Fernando Espinoza observes cautiously. His bet is to renew mandate and that Veronica Magario, renew as Kicillof's deputy.
"We have been doing what Cristina says for a long time. We call that loyalty," defines a mayor of those who met this Thursday in La Plata but who did not demand a single list, as the governors did.
Suspicions are the order of the day, as is logical at the time of closing lists. Some in Peronism, desperate, even see the possibility that Alberto Fernández will try to take a candidate of his own outside Peronism: "He already did it in 2017 with Florencio Randazzo," grumbs a Buenos Aires leader who fears that Scioli will play that game.
Massa is also suspicious. He denied this week that he had warned to step aside if he was not a candidate, as Clarín reported last Monday. But on Friday, Cecilia Moreau said she "did not rule out" that she could leave the economy ministry if politics were not ordered. "Scioli candidate is a failure for Sergio," said a close friend of his. Others, in his proximity, believe that if Massa ends up as a candidate for senator he should evaluate it positively.
Sergio Massa and Axel Kicillof at the inauguration of a gas pipeline.
"The first Senator is a place that Cristina had reserved for her. Or for your child. It's good for Sergio, if the presidential election is lost," says a mayor who, today, only thinks about how he will keep his district. For the pragmatic mayors of Buenos Aires, the delivery of ballots is almost a diversion.
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