Without leadership, Peronism is in crisis. For that of “better than saying is doing” when one talks more than what is decided, the fatigue of driving is evident, that “simple art and all of execution” in the definition of Perón. The years of the Frente de Todos are eloquent proof of the non-existence of a figure that synthesizes and leads the group. The results are plain to see: open-air discussions, procrastination, widespread dissatisfaction and a poor government of results to which the situation marks the times. The acceptance by CFK of a choice of third parties and the need to guarantee “the floor” exposes the precariousness.
Will the elections be an ordering instrument to overcome this damage to the brand suffered by a movement that makes a cult out of the ability to manage power? Hard to tell. The exercise of the vote, both in the PASO and in the general ones, is an opportunity, not a guarantee. There are the 2019 elections to prove it. Without a binding charisma, without the legitimacy generated by the exercise, the original legitimacy is diluted. To overcome uncertainty, a charisma at the service of an era is essential. Perón, Menem, Néstor and Cristina knew how to interpret the demands of historical time at the time. When these change, they demand adaptation because “the only truth is reality.”
Reversing the order of the factors alters the product in this case. When the leadership thinks that its truth is the only reality, it loses control of the situation. A long decade of stagflation and an inbred state require courage in deeds more than in slogans. The current version concludes in a litany, a rusty description of impossibilities. Defeated or victorious, the construction of a successor will require the embodiment of a desirable and possible future. Homesickness management will not be an option.
*Gustavo Marangoni is a consultant and former president of Banco Provincia.
