From Capital, political analysts are closely watching the tactic used by Rolando Figueroa to win a historic election against the Neuquén Popular Movement (MPN): make agreements with a dozen parties and, what sets off alarms the most, get detached from the national battle. “You have to separate yourself from the country’s crack,” she asked her small table. That the triumph be only of and for Neuquen.
It is that all the national leaders tried to put the spoon in the first election for governor. There were winners and losers on both sides of the rift: Sergio Massa He had the photo with the winner that everyone was looking for and in the PRO Mauricio Macri and Horacio Rodríguez Larreta they received their reward with the local collector. But others remained pedaling in the air, like Patricia Bullrich, who was blamed for not having supported them. AND Alberto Fernandezwho was not even thanked by the governor-elect for the message.
Figueroa was the first winner of this 2023. But his victory also means the first bump of the electoral year.
hung up “Congratulations to PRO Neuquén for having followed Figueroa’s list,” Bullrich greeted via Twitter. The response of the locals did not wait: “Patricia, in this election we do not receive your support”, the councilor of the capital Marcelo Bermúdez crossed it. And the provincial deputy Leti Esteves completed: “Your references were functional to those who have governed for 60 years. Deeds speak louder than words.”
Inside the PRO, he was favored Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, whom the local leaders thanked for their support. Also the former president Mauricio Macri received a favorable response.
But none of them had the most sought-after photo, the one to which only Sergio Massa agreed. The Minister of Economy received the governor-elect in his office along with the other great winner of the day, Alberto Weretilneckwho from December will once again be the president of Black river. None left empty-handed, because they were awarded electricity and gas works for their provinces for more than 75 million dollars.
Of course, at the beginning of the national electoral campaign, “Rolo” wants to continue playing independently. “I am going to focus only on Neuquén”, He tells NEWS before the query about whether he is going to support any candidate.
With just turned 54, Figueroa is enjoying his moment of greatest popularity. The deputy, who in Congress was an ally of front of allHe has a long history in politics. He was mayor of the towns of Huinganco and Chos Malal and later a provincial legislator.
The break with the MPN began to be noticed when he took office as lieutenant governor of Omar Gutierrez, in 2015. Despite sharing the formula, the differences were such that two years later they asked him to be a candidate for national legislator. “They want to take me out,” he argued at the time.
He only came to Congress in 2021 and did so with a strategy that he repeated this 2023: bringing together collectors from different spaces, from the PRO to the Evita Movement.
Bump. The new governor of Neuquén was on point for the elections: “They underestimated us. The adversaries belittled us throughout the campaign, ”he says. It is that he had to face the electoral machinery managed by former Governor Jorge Sapag and who has governed Neuquén for 60 years. That is why the result meant a rumble.
To give the bump, the political strategy proposed by the consultant was essential Mario Rorda, who came to his bunker on the recommendation of his friend Weretilneck. The first step was to atomize the political spaces so traditionally framed in Neuquén. Then, wave the flag of “go vote freely” to confront clientelism. “For political science it was an important day in Argentina, because the most abusive and patrimonialist structure I could ever meet was defeated,” the adviser wrote.
Figueroa broke with the historic hegemony of the MPN. Like his maternal grandfather, who was a gold prospector, “Rolo” he found the treasure he was looking for: a choice that could mean the decline of feudalism in the province.
