Argentina’s ruling party changes name ahead of presidential elections

Argentina’s ruling party changes name ahead of presidential elections

Argentina’s ruling Frente de Todos (FdT) Wednesday changed its name ahead of this year’s presidential elections but continues to be unable to join forces behind a unified candidate after President Alberto Fernández said he would not be running and Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner insisted she has been disenfranchised, which is technically inaccurate because all appeals in her conviction for corruption have not been exhausted. Hence, the current Peronist alliance has adopted the name “Unión por la Patria” (Union for the Homeland).

“We unite to defend the Homeland”, expressed the ruling party on its official Twitter account, where it already changed its denomination. “We unite to recover economic independence and for the development of a Federal Argentina”.

Unión por la Patria was formally registered Wednesday before the electoral judiciary hours before the deadline to enter the Aug. 14 open, simultaneous and mandatory primaries (PASO), which will determine the candidates for the general elections in October.

The opposition front Juntos por el Cambio, which is leading the polls, will keep its current name for the electoral contest.

The name change is intended to give a more competitive tone to the ruling party at a time when most polls predict a defeat, with the country immersed in an inflationary crisis as US dollars have become scarce due to the historic drought, driving prices upwards. In this scenario, President Fernández chose not to seek reelection.

Unión por la Patria also aims to make up for the internal struggles that divided the ruling party over the past four years as Fernández and other party leaders are openly at odds with CFK (2007-2015). President Fernández endorses the candidacy of former Vice President Daniel Scioli while CFK would rather see someone like Interior Minister Wado De Pedro, Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof or Economy Minister Sergio Massa running on behalf of her political space alongside her son, Deputy Máximo Kirchner.