Amy Booth 
Chief of Staff Agustín Rossi will run for the ruling Frente de Todos (FdT) coalition’s presidential nomination, he announced via social media on Monday night. With less than a month to go before the deadline for parties to present their candidates, Rossi has become the first to formally announce his run for the top job.
“I want to be president to guarantee that the economic growth of the coming years will be redistributed between all Argentines,” he said in a video spoken directly at the camera. “That there will be growth with social inclusion and redistribution of income, and that growth will come year after year consecutively. That’s why I want to be president.”
The presidential hopeful started the five-and-a-half-minute recorded message by saying: “I know perfectly well what’s happening in Argentine society today. I know how you feel. I know you feel that your dreams are evaporating, or that you’re filled with hopelessness. I know there are days when you’re angry when you think of how you get up every morning and what you get at the end of the month […] surely isn’t enough.”
He said that Argentina was experiencing a confluence of four crises —debt, the pandemic, the Ukraine war, and this year’s drought— that have made it impossible for the current government to deliver on its promises.
He went on to highlight Argentina’s relatively low unemployment rate of 6.3%, economic growth in 2021 and 2022 (these came after a sharp COVID-induced decline in 2020), and public works such as social housing and infrastructure.
“I know that what keeps you awake at night is the three I’s: inflation, insecurity and above all, uncertainty (in Spanish, la inflación, la inseguridad y la incertidumbre),” he said.
“Will that growth stay in the hands of just a few, or will it be enjoyed by Argentine society as a whole?” he asked, before promising to bring “calm” to the population.
Rossi became Chief of Staff in February, when Juan Manzur, who had been in the job since 2021, left the role to run for vice governor of Tucumán province. At the time, Rossi had been head of the Federal Intelligence Agency (AFI, by its Spanish initials). He has participated in Kirchnerist governments since 2005 as a congressman and defense minister.
Rossi first expressed interest in running in mid-April, when he said that he would consider it if President Alberto Fernández didn’t run for re-election. Days later, Fernández announced that he would not stand for a second term. Two weeks ago, after Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner confirmed that she would not be a candidate, Rossi said in an interview that he was “closer” to confirming his run.
While Rossi is so far alone among his coalition mates in standing for the job, other candidates are expected to make announcements soon: last week, Interior Minister Wado de Pedro posted a video some took as a soft launch of his campaign, although he stopped short of explicitly stating he was tossing his hat in the ring. He has been photographed together with Economy Minister Sergio Massa recently, fueling speculation that the pair could stand on a ticket together.
