The Kirchnerist governor gathered his mayors and rejected the idea that Kirchnerism imposes candidates through political agreements
Despite this situation, hardline Kirchnerism seeks to maintain its influence over the selection of candidates for 2027. Among the names linked to the sector are Máximo Kirchner, Eduardo "Wado" de Pedro, and Mayra Mendoza, while the political future of the former president's son is also conditioned by the progress of the Hotesur-Los Sauces case.
The governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, deepened his internal conflict with Cristina Kirchner over power and assured that he is willing to compete in the 2027 PASO against other leaders of Peronism, including former Economy Minister Sergio Massa. During a meeting with mayors from his political space, he rejected the idea that presidential candidacies should be defined through agreements among the main figures of the Justicialist Party.
The Buenos Aires governor led a meeting in La Plata with around 40 local leaders who are part of the Movement for the Right to the Future (MDF), his independent Kirchnerist group. There, he raised the need to strengthen his territorial structure and move towards a presidential candidacy, amid tensions with the sector that responds to Cristina and Máximo Kirchner.
Kicillof expressed his willingness to face other candidates in an internal election and warned them: "let's compete". He also questioned the traditional mechanisms used by Peronism to define its candidacies, noting that the future of the space should not be subject to negotiations among leaders.
The governor's stance represents a challenge to Cristina Kirchner's leadership, who continues to exert influence over La Cámpora and various sectors of Justicialism from her imprisonment. However, the former president faces a significant judicial impediment: her conviction includes a lifetime disqualification from holding public office, so she cannot legally present herself as a presidential candidate.
Sergio Massa is another major obstacle for Kicillof's presidential aspirations. The former presidential candidate of Unión por la Patria and Alberto Fernández remains active in politics and does not rule out competing again for the Casa Rosada. His potential candidacy could lead to a dispute between the Buenos Aires governor and the Renovating Front for the electoral leadership of Peronism.
During the meeting, there was also a demand from the mayors supporting the governor: the restoration of indefinite reelections in the Buenos Aires municipalities. Kicillof supported the initiative, which aims to modify the current restrictions on the number of consecutive terms and strengthen the positions of the barons of the conurbation.
The meeting included the participation of leaders such as Gabriel Katopodis, Julio Alak, Mario Secco, Andrés Watson, and Jorge Ferraresi, among other Kirchnerist figures. Kicillof also began to expand his contacts outside Buenos Aires: this Friday he traveled to Jujuy, where he met with the radical governor Carlos Sadir.
