The candidate Patricia Bullrich of Together for Change acknowledges her defeat this Sunday in Buenos Aires. MATIAS MARTIN CAMPAYA (EFE)
The emergence of the far right in Argentina has brought the traditional right under control. The defeat of Patricia Bullrich in the first round of the presidential elections represents a turning point for the “Together for Change” alliance, made up mainly of the PRO, the formation founded by Mauricio Macri, and the historic Radical Civic Union. This Sunday’s surprising results sent the Peronist Sergio Massa (36.6%) and the ultra Javier Milei (30%) into the second round and knocked Bullrich out of the race. The poor performance of the former security minister, who received 23.8% of the vote, leaves the future of the coalition, which has been the leading force of the opposition, uncertain. Bullrich, defender of liberal democracy and sympathizer of extreme ideas, had positioned herself as the favorite six months ago. However, passivity worked against him and he failed in the elections.
When the election was lost, Bullrich ran out of nuance. The right-wing candidate turned firmly against Massa, whom she did not want to congratulate on being part of the “worst government” the country has ever had, she said, alluding to the government of Alberto Fernández. Where Bullrich’s votes will go in the second round on November 19th is the big question raised by the results of the first round. This Sunday she drew a line under her supporters and firmly rejected support for Peronism. “We will never be complicit with the populism in Argentina or the mafias that have destroyed this country,” he said from his bunker, where poor celebrations were an early sign that the numbers would not be good.
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The leader of La Libertad Avanza was the surprise in the August 13th primary election. He has since embraced the idea of change, the proposal that Bullrich and his party have been selling for a decade. The emergence of the right-wing extremist candidate succeeded in snatching the anti-Peronist votes and capitalizing on the anger against the government. Many Argentines, dissatisfied and overwhelmed by the economic crisis, chose Milei in response to a malaise that has plagued them for years but which has worsened with the pandemic and the lack of economic recovery. El León, as they call the Ultra, managed to lump all politicians into one pot, that of the “political caste”, and came second thanks to the protest vote. The loss of this sector was crucial to the defeat of the traditional right.
Bullrich defeated the mayor of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, in the primaries. At that time he received around four million votes, while his opponent received around 2.6 million votes. Using both numbers, Together for Change was the second most voted force, just 400,000 votes behind leader Milei. After losing the election, Rodríguez Larreta became involved in his partner’s campaign and promised to become chief of staff if he won. However, the reorganization was not enough. The former minister received around 5.5 million votes in the first round of voting. The figure raises doubts about how many of Rodríguez Larreta’s voters chose to support her and how many preferred a profile outside the alliance.
The defeat of Together for Change endangers the cohesion of the PRO party founded by Mauricio Macri and its allies. Especially among the radicals. The right wing of the coalition with a profile like Bullrich, an advocate of a strong hand and expanding the armed forces – to whom he promised “a fair exit” for those convicted of crimes against humanity in the last dictatorship – feels uncomfortable. to the Radical Civic Union (UCR). Ricardo Alfonsín, son of former radical President Raúl Alfonsín, called for people to vote for Massa after the primaries. “Only those who have no idea what the party is can deny the UxP proposals [Unión por la Patria] They are much closer to the ideas of radicalism than to those of JxC [Juntos por el Cambio]“, he wrote on the social network X.
And he wasn’t the only one. In the days leading up to the election, some historically radical provinces were flooded with ballot papers saying: “We radicals do not vote for lunatics, deniers, right-wingers, terrorists or oppressors.” “Massa President.” The next few days will be crucial in ensuring that the radicals are also positioning themselves for the second round.
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