The battle over Kicillof's succession grows among mayors: the delayed decision by the PJ leadership

The bidding for Kicillof's succession grows among Peronist mayors (@mayrasmendoza) Although it is expected that the governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, and the rest of the sectors of what became known as Fuerza Patria will not decide until next year what the electoral strategy will be or whether there will be unity or not, various leaders are already moving with determination to position themselves in the no-small fight for the Buenos Aires governorship. With Kicillof barred from reelection and launched into the national contest, the mayors continue with their strategy that, this time, one of their own vies for the governorship candidacy for Peronism. In recent days, the one who joined the race — which will be a long one — is the mayor of Malvinas Argentinas, Leonardo Nardini. Playing outside the big neo-groups but without leaving the Peronist scheme, the former Minister of Infrastructure under Kicillof told Infobae: "I am determined to be a candidate for governor." The mayor of the district in the First Electoral Section has lines to various terminals. Weeks ago, as this outlet reported, he received the national senator and former governor of San Juan, Sergio Uñac, in his district, in what was read as a chaining of possible electoral formulas: Uñac for president, Nardini for governor. For now, that reading still holds. He comes from winning with 60% of the vote in his district and was the one who tried to open the way for the indefinite reelections of mayors, legislators, and councilors to return to the province's normative framework — that is, to come back. Last year, through deputy Luis Vivona, a bill was pushed that returned to legislators the possibility of running for reelection as many times as they consider. The bill passed in the Senate, presided over by Verónica Magario, who broke the tie in that vote, and it sank in the Chamber of Deputies. With the mayors he meets with, the Malvinas Argentinas communal chief repeats to them that if they had backed the legislators' bill, the one for mayors "would have passed on its own." Today he shows a certain annoyance at the delay of an issue he already considers on its way to extinction. Leonardo Nardini (left) alongside Sergio Uñac and provincial deputy Luis Vivona Nardini is willing to go to a PASO primary, as is the mayor of Moreno, Mariel Fernández. The recent moves of the mayor of the First Electoral Section have also been close to Kirchnerism, although she is a member of the League of Peronist Mayors. Last week she took part in the National Education Congress "Imaginar y Transformar," held in Mar del Plata and attended by Máximo Kirchner, Mayra Mendoza, and Fernanda Raverta, among other figures from the Cristina-aligned universe. Another who also showed himself close to former president Cristina Kirchner was Federico Otermín, another one seeking to establish himself. In recent days, the mayor of Lomas de Zamora traveled to San José 1111 alongside the president of the PJ in his district and Buenos Aires Environment Minister, Daniela Vilar. "Soon the people will put things in their place," he said about a possible release or candidacy of the former president, as her son, national deputy Máximo Kirchner, walked back in a recent interview with Infobae en Vivo. Before going to San José 1111, Otermín toured Lincoln. He is one of the names that the League of Mayors upholds, along with Fernández herself and Federico Achával (Pilar), to put forward their own candidate. This Wednesday a delegation from the League went to the city of Bahía Blanca. The mayors centered the debate on the Cold Zone Law, expressed their support for Bahía and the other 93 municipalities that would suffer a reduction of the benefit, and questioned a measure that would directly affect more than 3 million families in the province. As is known, it will be decisive to learn the fate of the indefinite reelection law before any decision regarding the Buenos Aires strategy is made. If the rule stands that mayors can be reelected only once consecutively, several will have to look for new horizons: Gustavo Menéndez (Merlo), Mariel Fernández (Moreno), Lucas Ghi (Morón), and Damián Selci (Hurlingham). Fernando Espinoza of La Matanza knows this; he is one of the names Kicillof would have, along with Gabriel Katopodis, Julio Alak (La Plata), and Jorge Ferraresi (Avellaneda, on leave), to contribute to a possible PASO primary. The name that the Movimiento Derecho al Futuro proposes for an internal contest will come from "whoever polls best." That is the agreement reached in the various meetings, most of which took place in La Plata. Katopodis and Ferraresi have been making various tours of the province. The former, riding on governing in times of austerity. The latter, without executive functions in his municipality, is gathering talks, internal meetings, and photos. For example, this Monday he was with Kicillof and Malvinas veterans. In between, a video circulated of him speaking at a meeting in Vicente López. There he offered a diagnosis of the internal discussion within Peronism: "In my particular case, I was vice president of the Instituto Patria — the truth is that Cristina chose not to lead me, I didn't choose for her not to lead me, she never called me again." He also said he would "love" for the former president "to make the decision to lead everyone and not lead just one sector." The interpretation in Kirchnerism came quickly: "He's an Axel mayor asking Cristina to lead him," said a voice at the decision-making table of Cristina-aligned politics in Buenos Aires Province. Kicillof and three possible precandidates for his succession: Katopodis, Ferraresi, and Julio Alak Espinoza, meanwhile, seeks to add internal support and lean on the weight of his district to compete. It is the one with the largest electoral volume, and he believes that factor will prevail when decisions are made. Next week he will reaffirm his own power when he gathers the mayors of the Argentine Federation of Municipalities (FAM). It will be next Wednesday at the headquarters of the organization, which is made up of communal chiefs from various points of the country. To the building on Cerrito Street in the Autonomous City will come mayors who, for now, will reelect Espinoza as president or someone who follows the line of the La Matanza mayor. This Wednesday, Espinoza received Kicillof in his district to inaugurate two new educational buildings, a secondary school and a special education school. Kicillof, Espinoza, and the vice governor, Verónica Magario Espinoza cannot run for reelection. Neither can Mariel Fernández, nor Achával. In the Cristina-aligned camp, the option of Mayra Mendoza remains on the table: the Quilmes mayor will not be able to run for mayor in 2027. Julio Alak or Federico Otermín can go for another term as mayor, though. Although the Cristina-aligned strategy is to push for Cristina's release and her candidacy, most of the names could support a national candidacy of Kicillof, provided various issues are agreed upon: specifically, what degree of openness and participation the rest of the spaces will have, especially Kirchnerism and Sergio Massa's Frente Renovador. For now, the Peronist mayors and their allies are deploying actions around the succession to the governorship, in a climate that for now offers a certain harmony.