Secret contacts between radicals, PRO and anti-K PJ to rearm the "center"

On Tuesday, the Franchesca bar, located in one of the city's most exclusive shopping malls, hosted an informal meeting between the head of government, Jorge Macri, and the provincial representative, Emilio Monzó.

Between greetings from neighbors and specific complaints about management issues, the mayor rehearsed his distance from the national government and the libertarian world. He knew perfectly well that for his interlocutor, a national legislator and political organizer who would never agree with Javier Milei, it was music to his ears. Although the meeting didn't last an hour, it served as a starting point: behind the scenes, there are leaders of the PRO (Progressive Party), anti-K Peronist faction, along with Radicals, who are considering a "center" structure outside the national dichotomy between Kirchnerism and La Libertad Avanza (The Freedom Advances) in the Province.

In this regard, although Maximiliano Abad, a national senator for the UCR and the party's representative in the Province, and presidential advisor Santiago Caputo remain in contact, negotiations to form a common front are still far off. Perhaps for this reason, some Radical mayors in the province of Buenos Aires are not happy with the idea of ​​reaching an agreement with the Libertarians and would prefer, in their electoral sections (fourth, sixth, and seventh), to forge an agreement among moderates.

For his part, after forcing his brother Gastón to resign from the leadership of the UCR National Convention, Facundo Manes also dreams of such a "center." A structure that includes anti-K Peronists and anyone who envisions a middle path.

The idea is shared by Monzó—with whom he spoke privately last week—but it has yet to take root in practice. A proponent of dialogue and moderation as a way of conducting politics, the party leader and congressman believes in seeking, through the center, between 10% and 15% of the vote in the Province.

Perhaps for this reason, he was surprised by the disruptive launch of Hechos by the mayor of San Nicolás, Santiago Passaglia, along with his brother Manuel—two former allies of the PRO party. The new space became a beacon for many leaders and mayors who feel politically orphaned under the agreement between the PRO party and La Libertad Avanza. Monzó himself met with them last week to discuss this matter.

The Passaglias aren't thinking about expanding Hechos to all electoral districts yet. They're strong in the second (Zárate, Pergamino, and, of course, San Nicolás). However, since they launched the program, the calls have been incessant. They listen to everyone, engage in dialogue with everyone, and don't close doors. But first, they need electoral validation in their territory as a political premise.

The movements are multiple. The mayor of Junín, the head of the fourth electoral district, Pablo Petrecca (PRO), is also moving. He has a good relationship with his colleague from the neighborhood council, Guillermo Britos, mayor of Chivilcoy, who flirts with playing a "center" party. Still lying in wait, the mayor awaits the LLA-PRO negotiations. But, if necessary, he is ready to put together an offer outside of Kirchnerism or the Libertarians.

In fact, Petrecca, a man close to Jorge Macri, and Javier Martínez, the yellow mayor of Pergamino (and an employee of Daniel "el Tano" Angelici), are two of the municipal bosses who are not popular with the Libertarian ranks. What's more, the head of the Buenos Aires LLA, Sebastián Pareja, has them in his sights and even knows how the council members of each party performed.