Joaquín Rodríguez Freire Five provincial governors from different political sectors announced the creation of a new electoral front with which they intend to compete in the October midterms. The alliance will run separately from the national-level party structures and will aim to develop a common agenda for provinces.
The governors included in the alliance are Ignacio Torres (Chubut), Martín Llaryora (Córdoba), Maximiliano Pullaro (Santa Fe), Carlos Sadir (Jujuy), and Claudio Vidal (Santa Cruz).
In a joint statement published on social media, the provincial leaders said that there is a “federal cry demanding more voices in Congress.” As governors, they added, they have the “enormous responsibility” of defending provincial interests while also contributing to “the governance of Argentina.”
“We have decided to compete together in the October [legislative] elections, knowing that the reality demands that we put forth more voices that defend a working Argentina.”
All five governors come from different political backgrounds: Pullaro and Sadir belong to the UCR; Torres is part of PRO; Llaryora is from Peronism; and Vidal leads a provincial party. Despite these differences, however, they are all known for being open to dialogue and for having turned down other alliances within their provinces, including with ruling party La Libertad Avanza (LLA).
Another political figure involved in getting the deal done was former Córdoba Governor Juan Schiaretti. He has been trying to put together a federal bloc and has decided to run for a seat in the lower house to try and contain the advancement of LLA in the province.
The announcement comes amidst an ongoing standoff between the provinces and the Milei administration over federal funding. The confrontation is set to heat up once again as Congress’ winter break comes to an end and the lower house gets ready to debate two bills approved by the Senate that would redistribute funds collected by the national government to the provinces.
“Looking to the future”
According to the statement, the electoral front will “look to the future, with the decision of taking charge of the present and leaving behind for good the past that divided [the country] and halted” its development. They added that the national and provincial governments have “all done the necessary adjustments” to obtain the “essential fiscal balance required to move forward with the changes” the country needs.
Following the announcement, Governor Torres highlighted the broad nature of the bloc, considering that, in addition to being from different political parties, the leaders also represent different geographic sectors of Argentina. He went on to say that the bloc’s goal in Congress will be to push for a fiscal reform and added that other governors could eventually join the alliance.
“[The other governors] will be the ones who will decide when to make their decision public,” he stated.
One of the names being mentioned is current Corrientes Governor Gustavo Valdés, who will leave office this year. Valdés explored an alliance with LLA for both the provincial and the national elections. However, the idea fell through, and tensions between them grew.
The door also remains open for other leaders, especially those who were part of Juntos por el Cambio (JxC) and ruled out agreements with LLA or provincial parties. Among them are Claudio Poggi (San Luis), Marcelo Orrego (San Juan), Hugo Passalacqua (Misiones), Alberto Weretilneck (Río Negro), and Rolando Figueroa (Neuquén), for example.
The joint photo of the five governors was a show of strength in contrast to the Milei administration’s strategy, which avoids a general call to the governors and attempts to seduce individual leaders to defuse potential issues before they reach the halls of Congress.
In recent weeks, government officials have met on separate occasions with Rogelio Frigerio (Entre Ríos), Raúl Jalil (Catamarca), Alfredo Cornejo (Mendoza), and Leandro Zdero (Chaco). Cornejo has already formalized his agreement with LLA. Frigerio, meanwhile, is close to doing the same in Entre Ríos.
In addition to funding cuts, the paralysis of public works, and the lack of maintenance of national roads, another reason behind the decision to form the bloc was the Milei siblings’ decision to move forward with LLA campaigns in several provinces, leading many to believe they intend to compete on their own.
The combination of all these factors seems to have exhausted the patience of various local leaders.
