"The force of change that is needed to turn history around." This is how Cristian Ritondo presented an extensive letter in which he whitewashed this Saturday his support for the presidential candidacy of Patricia Bullrich in his internal with Horacio Rodríguez Larreta in Together for Change.
The head of the PRO bloc in Deputies did so through a post on social networks along with two photos: one with Bullrich and another accompanied by Néstor Grindetti, with whom until recently the candidacy for governor of Buenos Aires was settled. Finally, Bullrich opted last month for the mayor of Lanús to compete in the PASO with Diego Santilli, the candidate of Horacio Rodríguez Larreta.
Ritondo began by reviewing the beginnings of the PRO, back in 2015. He spoke of "many successes and also mistakes", which he pointed out. He also said they received "extortion, media operations, violence and tons of stones."
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With the defeat of 2019 I chose to learn, correct and think about what were the mistakes, the weaknesses and, above all, what things we must change so as not to waste a new opportunity," he said.
Therefore, he said, the last time he worked with "a great team" to be a candidate for governor of the Province. "Unfortunately it didn't touch me this time, but I'm part of a team," he said.
In that line, he confirmed his support for Bullrich and Grindetti "to leave behind the Kirchnerist model that does so much damage and fight populism firmly."
And he closed: "The challenge ahead is even greater than in 2015. As of August 14, after the PASO, we will all be together and work side by side to defeat Kirchnerism and, above all, work on solutions for Argentines."
The full menu
Almost 20 years ago a group of people started the dream of being able to build a political alternative for Argentines. An alternative that could express the values of the republic, freedom and modernity. On October 23, 2005, PRO was born.
Convinced that Kirchnerism already expressed a model in decline in the world, we took our first steps in the City, and with the leadership of Mauricio we transformed the lives of millions of residents of a city that changed forever.
Then we expanded the space together with other parties and actors that, with differences but with important coincidences, joined to form a greater space that allowed us to win elections in 2015 at the national level and defeat Kirchnerism in places where nobody thought we could do it, as was the victory of María Eugenia in the Province of Buenos Aires.
There were many successes: we confronted drug traffickers and criminals as never before, we lowered crimes throughout the country, we reinserted ourselves in the world, we lowered taxes, we eliminated leghold traps, we recovered transparency in management, we recovered credibility in public statistics, we paid debts, we lowered the deficit, we did works postponed for decades and thousands of other things that today a large part of Argentines yearn for in the face of the disaster of the Kirchner administration.
There were also mistakes: changes that we should have made faster or that we could not make because we had a minority in both houses of Congress. Changes that demanded us to be more firm with those who wanted to return to populism and extorted us, and millions of Argentines, with media operations, violence and tons of stones ...
Ritondo with Grindetti.
With the defeat of 2019 we can get angry or learn. I chose to learn, correct and think about what were the mistakes, the weaknesses and, above all, what things we must change so as not to waste a new opportunity.
We don't have many more. Argentina doesn't have many more opportunities. There comes a time when the damage is so deep that mediocrity, poverty, the "you can't", is transformed into a landscape and we end up naturalizing it as a society.
I refuse that defeat, not so much for me, but, above all, for my children and the children of millions of Argentines who do not want them to leave or stop believing in our countries. That's why I've been working with a great team to be a candidate for governor of the Province these last years.
Because I am convinced that we can change, that we are not an unviable province and I know that we can be what all Buenos Aires residents dream of being: a powerful, productive, beautiful province to travel and beautiful to live.
Unfortunately it didn't touch me this time. But I am part of a team: the team of PRO and Together for Change, which for years has been working, with successes and mistakes, to build a free, modern country, where every Argentine can generate wealth, work and be happy and not depend on the gift of a politician or a government.
I believe in that country and I am convinced that we Argentines have to move forward with great strength and courage to leave behind the Kirchnerist model that has been doing us so much damage as a society.
And that is why we decided to work together with Patricia, Néstor and their teams, because we are convinced that populism is firmly fought. Because we cannot allow this government to continue destroying the country and the people of Buenos Aires.
In recent years we held several meetings with our referents from more than 100 municipalities of the Province to listen to them, know their opinions and validate with them the direction we must take in this new challenge. The decision to work together with Néstor and Patricia's team has to do with that shared vision that we have been expressing for months and that we will continue to strengthen in the face of these elections.
My goal is to strengthen the PRO to lead a project of change and transformation in the Province, and throughout the country. We Argentines need a government that is connected to society, and that can provide answers and solutions to the serious economic problems, insecurity, education, health, that affect us day by day and truncate life projects.
I am convinced that the challenge ahead of us is even greater than in 2015 and we need, both nationally and in the Province, to work together, with all our strength and courage to leave behind and forever this model of government that did so much harm to us Argentines.
As of August 14, after the PASO, we will all be together and work side by side to defeat Kirchnerism and, above all, work on the solutions that, from day one, we have to give to the Argentines.
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