Tension in the Ruling Coalition Over Electoral Reform

The administration of Javier Milei, through Cabinet Chief Diego Santilli, is pushing forward an electoral reform that aims to eliminate the PASO (Primarias Abiertas Simultáneas y Obligatorias, or Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory Primaries) before the 2027 elections. For an international reader, it is important to note that PASO is a unique Argentine system where all political parties hold their internal primaries on the same day, and only candidates who surpass a minimum threshold can compete in the general election.

However, allies from the PRO (Propuesta Republicana, a center-right party founded by Mauricio Macri) fear being left out in the cold and are demanding executable guarantees to support the measure. PRO's caucus leader, Martín Goerling, stated that his bloc will not vote for the repeal of the primaries. The concern within the PRO is that if PASO is eliminated and 'colectoras' (joint electoral lists where different political factions run together under a single banner) are allowed, they will depend entirely on the goodwill of the libertarian party to secure spots on the ballot.

Patricia Bullrich's Stance

On July 9, Senator Patricia Bullrich declared that 'colectoras' distort the political system. Bullrich argues that a joint list moves the primary into the general election, creating two different lists hanging from the presidential ticket. For many allies, this scheme opens a dangerous battle for spots if La Libertad Avanza (LLA, Milei's party) takes over the entire slate.

The Key Lies with the Governors

The ruling coalition needs to reach 37 senators to approve the reform, but currently only has 21. The key to passing the legislation lies with provincial governors who control the votes but lack their own presidential candidates. This group includes Radical Civic Union (UCR) governors Alfredo Cornejo, Leandro Zdero, Carlos Sadir, Juan Pablo Valdés, and Maximiliano Pullaro, as well as PRO governors Rogelio Frigerio, Ignacio Torres, Mauricio Macri, and Alfredo De Angeli.

To this scenario, one must add the divided stances of Peronist governors. While Osvaldo Jaldo (Tucumán) rejects the elimination of the primaries, Raúl Jalil (Catamarca) is in favor of removing them. However, the block of 25 Peronist senators remains firm in its rejection of the reform.

Source: La Politica Online