The Argentine opposition hits the ruling Peronists in the vote in the medium term

BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 12 (Reuters) – Argentina’s main opposition party slammed the ruling Peronists on Sunday, winning key races in a primary vote in Congress that is a strong key indicator of how voters will vote in the mid-term elections in November.

The Conservative opposition led by about 5 percentage points in the key province of Buenos Aires, with 84% of the vote in the populous region that has been a bastion of support from Alberto Fernández’s center-left government.

Other results of the compulsory vote showed the retreat of the ruling party, which if repeated in the November 14 elections could see it lose the majority of government in the Senate and risk its largest minority position in the lower house of deputies.

“The ruling party lost 1.2 million votes compared to the 2019 presidential election; this brings them to a level that, if repeated in November, leaves Alberto Fernández very weak,” said Mariel Fornoni, director of Management & Fit consulting.

With the majority of candidates already established, open voting in the primaries acts as a general rehearsal across the country before the mid-term vote on November 14, where 127 seats in the House of Representatives can be obtained out of a total of 257, as well as 24 seats. of 72 in the Senate.

Many voters feel let down by major political parties. A long recession, rampant inflation and a poverty rate that has risen to 42% have affected public support for the government, despite recent signs of economic recovery and falling coronavirus cases.

“There is great discontent among the people,” said Patricia Coscarello, a 52-year-old administrative worker outside of Buenos Aires, after voting. “Apart from the pandemic, the economic situation is complex and wages are falling.”

VACCINE ROLL

Fernandez may point to a vaccine deployment that has now reached more than 46 million inoculations for a population of a similar size, with daily COVID-19 cases falling and the emergence of the recession economy in early this year after a crash in 2020.

“Obviously, we didn’t do some things well because people didn’t accompany us as we would have expected,” President Fernandez said after the results alongside his party’s leadership, adding that the party would learn from its mistakes and would be strengthened.

“The campaign has just started and we have to win it in November because we have a commitment to Argentina.”

Griselda Picone, 60, a housewife in the capital, said she voted for the ruling party despite some concerns.

“While there is a lot to improve, the alternative that ruled before (Together for Change) made it all worse,” he said. “I think the management of the economy during the pandemic has been really good.”

The country’s meager financial markets, which collapsed after the 2019 presidential primaries showed that Fernandez won that year’s election by defeat, could rise if Sunday’s vote goes against the ruling party. Read more

The logic is that a stronger opposition would temper the more militant wings of the Peronists. They have sometimes clashed with investors, the powerful agricultural sector and the International Monetary Fund, which is negotiating a debt deal with the government.

Ana Pertusati, a 36-year-old lawyer, and others were pessimistic about the prospects for improvement.

“When you ask, most people don’t even know the top candidates,” he said as he waited in line to vote. “It looks like whoever wins would be of little use in making real positive changes for people.”

Report by Nicolas Misculin and Jorge Otaola; Additional reports by Agustin Geist, Eliana Raszewski and Lucila Sigal; Edited by Adam Jourdan, Peter Cooney and Richard Pullin

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