A week before the runoff, and with the pieces of Together for Change awaiting the result for the reconfiguration of the scenario the day after, the tension was again evident with the escalation in the confrontation between Mauricio Macri and Gerardo Morales. A new crossing that at the same time reflected the internal struggles between radicalism and the PRO.
“This is a strange country, it seems that Milagro Sala and Gerardo Morales are going to vote for the same one”Macri posted on Saturday night, with the purpose of questioning the radical’s positioning for the second round, with nods to Sergio Massa, which unleashed a furious response from the president of the UCR.
Morales tried to “sick” to the founder of the PRO, he attributed that due to his “ambition for power” he supports Javier Milei (“A crazy person you can handle”) and equated him with Cristina Kirchner: “They should be imprisoned. If you want, Mauricio, I can go into details.” The governor of Jujuy also referred to a video in which Patricia Bullrich harshly criticized the liberal candidate, before October 22.
Macri remained silent after Morales’ attack and from those around him they argued for the post that sparked the controversy. “We are never going to go with Massa and the healthiest thing is for each one to be transparent. Let him take charge of what he proposes”assured one of its most trusted leaders.
“There is not much respect for his approach of playing dumb and working from below so that Massa wins without saying it”summarized the motivation of the former president, and with the purpose of driving a wedge into the internal radicals, he added that the criticism of Morales was in tune with the positions of Alfredo Cornejo and Gustavo Valdés.
The governors of the UCR declared dispensable for the runoffat that point in coincidence with the National Committee, although both the Mendoza and the Corrientes they distanced themselves from the implicit endorsement -and increasingly explicit- from the president of Jujuy to Massa.
“I’m going to do everything I have to do so Milei doesn’t win,” had said Morales two weeks agoand a few days ago he reinforced that position by warning that if the liberal candidate wins, the provinces will have difficulties paying salaries, a speech that was later taken up by the Peronists Raúl Jalil and Osvaldo Jaldo.
The relationship between Macri and Morales seems to have no return, although on the former president’s side they assure that the link between the PRO and the UCR would not necessarily be broken after the runoff. The former president’s bet will be that, in the event of Milei’s victory, a radical more in line with his position will take control of the party.
“The problem is with Morales and a couple of others (that group includes Martín Lousteau), not with radicalism. “It will depend on who drives it.”they advanced near Macri.
In parallel, Luis Petri – Bulrich’s running mate and aligned with Macri – launched “The force of radical change”, to attract coreligionists and recruit prosecutors for Milei. “Morales’ attitude disappointed many. By not being neutral it involves radicalism, but our electorate is reactive to Massa and Kirchnerism“, they explained from that sector.
On Morales’ side, the fury against the former president continued on Sunday afternoon. “He is a cynic. He did a lot of damage, destroyed Together for Change and weakened the opposition, whoever wins”, they dedicated to him in the environment of the governor of Jujuy.
For Morales, Macri sought to delegitimize him with the post to “Preparing the terrain” so that before next Sunday the radicals of the so-called Malbec group will speak out in favor of Milei. Carolina Losada already expressed herself that way. The dispute over the National Committee – it will renew authorities in December – at the same time intersects with the result of the runoff, which will shape the scenario for Lousteau – with the support of Morales – or Valdés, two of those listed.
The radicals also get inside the PRO. “Macri is more satisfied with Milei than with Together for Change, but we do not see that the PRO thinks mostly that way.”“, remarked a representative of the sector of the governor of Jujuy, with an eye on the creation of a center space with Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, the moderates of the yellow party and the Civic Coalition, in case Massa wins.
Macri at the moment does not plan to appear with Milei at the end of the campaign, although he will have visibility this week with the confirmation of his candidacy for vice president of Boca to face Juan Román Riquelme, and will continue to express his support for the liberal candidate.
The post first appeared on www.clarin.com
