Since the early hours of Tuesday the rumor was gaining strength that Leandro Santoro, candidate for head of the Buenos Aires Government, would withdraw from the runoff on November 19. Finally, at noon, through a statement from Unión por la Patria the news was confirmed.
“A realistic reading of the electoral result, added to the explicit support of Javier Milei for Jorge Macri, They give us the guideline that it would be foolish to force a runoff,” says the official text. The thing is that the former president’s cousin harvested andl 49.61% of the votes in the General Elections, according to the provisional count, against the 32.20% of Santoro. A difference that is difficult to reverse.
However, The decision not to compete would be strategic and was devised by Sergio Massa, the presidential candidate who received the most votes in the PASO. When Santoro got out of the runoff, The PRO will not have to continue with the campaign. That is to say, they took one of the opposition’s main spaces out of play.
Furthermore, as they imagined in Massa’s bunkerthere will be many voters who, by not having to vote for Macri again, will not even participate in the runoff that will decide between Massa and Milei.
“She is very brave and sensible,” said Sergio Massa about Santoro’s decision. “I spoke with Leandro and told him that it was unnecessary to put the City into an electoral expense of such magnitude. with a choice that is already defined” he concluded.
Minutes after the statement was published, the Minister of Economy assured: “Leandro told me that he agreed, but that he was going to discuss it with the different sectors of the party. He made a decision with a lot of maturity and a lot of character. “This is how leaders are built over time.”
For having complied with Massa’s decision, Santoro will have a consolation prize. Be summoned to participate in the campaign team of the presidential candidate and will then be part of an eventual government, if the current Minister of Economy is victorious on November 19.
