Macri’s favorite wins primaries in the City of Buenos Aires

ARGENTINA - In Brief 27 Apr 2015 by Esteban Fernández Medrano

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In yesterday’s simultaneous primary election (PASO) in the City of Buenos Aires, Horacio Larreta, Macri’s favorite, won the PROs primaries, with a significant difference ahead of his direct competitor, Gabriela Michetti, or any other candidates from different parties, for that matter. At current counting stance (given the magnitudes of voting differences expect no change in the final order) Larreta obtained 28.4% of total votes or 60% of the PROs primaries, compared to 18.9% and 40% respectively for Michetti. With such result the PRO obtained 47.3% of total votes in the City, hinting a first round victory for Larreta in the actual elections on July the 5th. Even if projecting the remaining votes (those whose parties did not manage to enter into the primaries because they did not obtain more than 1.5% of the total votes), mostly to the parties that still compete with the PRO, does not change the fact that Macries party obtained the needed 45% to win in the first round by its own. To reach the possibility of a second round, Michettie’s voters would need to shift away in mass from Larreta (not very likely) and some of the two remaining participants (such as Recalde) would need to step down from participating in the elections hoping that FpV’s close to 10% votes goes to Lousteaus’s ECO (even l ess likely). Therefore with this primary’s result one can assume that Macri “right hand” has a very good shot at becoming the next Major of the City of Buenos Aires. Without doubt, Macri’s expressing publicly that he favored Larreta, helped to shift the balance towards the City’s Chief of Cabinet and economist Larreta, instead of the National Senator and BA in International Relations...