Argentina: Buenos Aires Mayor Quits Presidential Race · Global Voices
On May 7, 2011, <PERSON>, current mayor of Buenos Aires, announced he would seek re-election as mayor on July 10 of this year. After weeks of suspense, his decision confirms that he is giving up the October presidential race.
As the leader of the Republican Proposal Party (PRO by its Spanish acronym), one of most important alternatives to the ruling Justicialist Party (PJ by its Spanish acronym), <PERSON> was expected to run for president after one term in office as mayor of Buenos Aires. Yet the decision was not easy to make. A presidential win of the opposition remains uncertain, especially considering the renewed popularity of President <PERSON>.
For now, the only other identified candidate for Buenos Aires City Council is the film-maker and leftist politician <PERSON>. President <PERSON> is expected to release the identity of the official candidate soon, but it is likely that the candidate will either be Economy Minister <PERSON>, Senator <PERSON> or Labour Minister <PERSON>.
<PERSON> at the Club 17 de Agosto, announcing he would seek reelection as Mayor of Buenos Aires. Photo by Flickr user <PERSON>, used under a CC BY-ND 2.0 license.
<PERSON>'s announcement, which occurs after a long period of time, provoked opposite reactions, as the liberal, ex-businessman profoundly divides Argentine public opinion.
Twitter user <PERSON> (@DrSpaccavento) ironically responds to <PERSON>'s decision:
<PERSON> abandona otra vez la pelea presidencial y se refugia en la Ciudad..cuando le ganemos a él y a solanas juntos, va probar suerte en Boca.
<PERSON> drops out again of the presidential challenge and shelters in the City… when we beat him and <PERSON>, he will try his luck in Boca [Boca Juniors is one of the most emblematic national Argentine football clubs. <PERSON> run Boca between 1995 and 2003, a period considered as one of the most successful of the club]
On the contrary, the economist <PERSON> (@daianamol) criticizes the possible candidacy of official Minister <PERSON>, one of <PERSON>'s fiercest rivals:
<PERSON> quiere salir a demoler a <PERSON> y a su gestion.Demolio superávit, demolió tipo d cambio competitivo.Demoler la ciudad no le va a costar
<PERSON> wants to go out and demolish <PERSON> and his management. He [<PERSON>] demolished the fiscal surplus and a competitive exchange rate. 1017
To destroy the city won't be hard for him.
Indeed, his management of the Buenos Aires’ government is also widely discussed in the web.
The former journalist of the newspapers La Nación [es] and El Cronista Comercial [es], <PERSON>, sharply criticizes [es] <PERSON>'s management and forecasts an electoral backlash for the current mayor:
En los tres años que lleva al frente de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, <PERSON> no ha cristalizado lo que prometió allá por 2007. Es más, el malhumor de los porteños crece sin pausa. Y los habitantes de la Capital Federal suelen castigar con el voto. No se comen cualquiera… Por otra parte, no ha podido, sabido o querido rodearse de funcionarios virtuosos, capaces de llevar a Buenos Aires a jugar en la liga de las grandes ciudades del mundo. En cambio, se ha encerrado en sus compañeros de colegio o en ex empleados del club de fútbol que alguna vez administró.
In the three years as head of the City of Buenos Aires, <PERSON> has not materialized what he promised back around 2007 [year of his election]. What's more, the resentment of Buenos Aires inhabitants grows without pause. The inhabitants of the Federal Capital usually punish with their vote. They don't buy into anything… On the other hand, he [<PERSON>] has been unable or unwilling to surround himself with virtuous civil servants capable of taking Buenos Aires to the select group of great world cities. Instead of that, he has [surrounded] himself with school friends and former employees of the football club [Boca Juniors] he once run.
Buenos Aires municipal palace. 186