1 of 1 Maria Eugenia Vidal, former Governor of Buenos Aires Province, and Horácio Larreta, Mayor of the City of Buenos Aires, on September 12, 2021 — Photo: Raul Ferrari / Telam / AFP Maria Eugenia Vidal, former Governor of Buenos Aires Aires Province Buenos Aires, and Horácio Larreta, Mayor of the City of Buenos Aires, on September 12, 2021 — Photo: Raul Ferrari / Telam / AFP
Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta is close to announcing his candidacy in Argentina’s presidential election this year, a spokesman for the conservative opposition politician said on Wednesday, as a fragmented field of candidates began to emerge.
Larreta, a 57yearold economist who has governed the city since 2015, will seek to represent the main opposition coalition, Together for Change, where he faces internal competition from former Argentine security minister Patricia Bullrich.
Argentina, a major grain exporter and Latin America’s thirdlargest economy, faces a crucial election in October, with the centerleft ruling Peronist coalition struggling to avoid defeat as high inflation hurts its popularity with voters.
Conservatives hope to wrest power from the Peronists, the country’s dominant political force for decades, by promising more economic and fiscal responsibility to tame inflation and avoid new currency and debt crises.
Argentina has the highest inflation in 32 years
“It is confirmation of his candidacy,” Larreta’s spokesman told Portal, referring to an announcement on social media scheduled later on Wednesday, adding that a video confirming Larreta as a precandidate will be released on Thursday.
According to local law, the primary election is held in August, while the general election is scheduled to take place in late October, although the exact date has not yet been set by the country’s electoral chamber.
In the conservative coalition’s internal race, Larreta is likely to face Bullrich, who has long signaled that she will run, as well as former Buenos Aires provincial governor María Eugenia Vidal and politician Elisa Carrió.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández has said he wants to run for reelection, and former president and current vicepresident Cristina Kirchner ruled out running late last year, although that could cause surprise.