More than 30 national deputies are running in the October 26 election to renew their seats for a further four years, but only a score of them are guaranteed to return to Argentina’s lower house.
The Chamber of Deputies must elect 127 lawmakers in this election. The opposition Peronist caucus is risking nearly half – 47 percent – of its 98 seats, whereas the right-wing coalition of La Libertad Avanza and PRO has 30 percent of its seats at stake.
The deputies seeking re-election who are all but guaranteed a seat for four years are those running in the first spots of the LLA or Fuerza Patria tickets – the forces with the most seats if opinion polls are proven to be even slightly accurate.
In total, 34 lower house lawmakers seeking a new four-year term may only be guaranteed for six of the LLA-PRO coalition, 10 for Fuerza Patria and one Radical.
The top candidate for the alliance between LLA and PRO, Diego Santilli -who accessed that spot after the scandalous resignation of José Luis Espert, has a new term assured for four years.
His partners from PRO, Alejandro Finochiario, and Florencia De Sensi, also have a sure spot in Congress, in seventh and twelfth place respectively, and an estimated 14 legislators are likely to be able to join them.
The ruling party coalition between LLA and PRO back the re-election in Buenos Aires City of libertarian Nicolás Emma and of Bullrich supporter Sabrina Ajmechet, and in Mendoza of libertarian Álvaro Martínez.
The PRO deputy from Córdoba Laura Rodriguez Machado may be able to return to Congress if LLA performs strongly. She is running fourth on the La Libertad Avanza ticket, which is hoping to win four seats.
Looking to Fuerza Patria in Buenos Aires Province, the deputies guaranteed a seat are Kirchnerite unionists Sergio Palazzo and Vanesa Siley, and the CTA (Argentine Workers' Union) member Hugo Yasky, backed by Governor Axel Kicillof.
Legislator Agustina Propato, the wife of former provincial security minister Sergio Berni who is very close fo former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, joins that group in eighth place.
In Buenos Aires City, Fuerza Patria chose to push for the re-election of Patria Grande leader Itai Hagman, whose term was due to run to 2027, and so he will resign the two remaining years to La Cámpora leader Javier Andrade, who will take on the seat instead.
Peronist Pablo Carro, from Córdoba, has a more difficult re-election since he must contest the seat with another ticket fighting for the same voters headed by fellow-deputy Natalia De la Sota, who has good voting intentions, according to the latest opinion polls.
In the meantime, La Rioja's Gabriela Pedreli is ensured re-election since she is heading the Fuerza Patria ticket, seconded by Ricardo Herrera, also seeking re-election, but who must win over 50 percent of the votes, as was the case in 2021.
La Pampa's Vanina Lis Marin is guaranteed re-election since she is heading the local Peronist ticket.
Emilio Estrada, from Salta, will look for re-election for Fuerza Patria since he will head that group's ticket, as will Leila Chaer in Jujuy..
Peronism in Tucumán reached an agreement between Governor Osvaldo Jaldo and his predecessor Juan Manzur, proposing the re-election of deputy Gladys Medina, although Jaldo will head the ticket as a testimonial candidate.
Running in fourth place is the deputy for Independencia (Jaldo's caucus) Elias Fernández, who may be re-elected if Medina, whose term is until 2027, gives up her seat since she can continue for a further two years.
Radicals may suffer quite a drainage, since 11 of their 14 members are ending their term but among them the deputy with an ensured place is Pamela Verasay, the second candidate for the Mendoza alliance between LLA and Governor Alfredo Cornejo's Radicals.
In this City the deputy for Republicanos Unidos, Ricardo López Murphy, seeks to maintain his seat for a further four years and is running for Potencia.
Encuentro Federal deputies with likely re-election are Natalia de la Sota, running for a group outside the Peronists responding to Córdoba ex-governor Juan Schiaretti, the lead candidate for Provincias Unidas.
In that space PRO deputy Ana Clara Romero from Chubut, Melina Giordi from Santa Fe answering to Governor Maximiliano Pullaro and Florencio Randazzo from Buenos Aires Province are all seeking re-election.
Also within Encuentro Federal, Margarita Stolbizer and Emilio Monzo from Buenos Aires Province, and Ignacio Garcia Aresca, fifth on Schiaretti's ticket, are all vying for a new term.
In the meantime, Oscar Agost Carreño is running for PRO in Córdoba, following the legal battle with the group's nationwide leadership seeking an alliance with La Libertad Avanza.
Coalición Cívica deputy Juan Manuel López is seeking a new term in Buenos Aires Province but that result is in doubt, according to the latest opinion polls.
As for left-wing candidates, Alejandro Vilca in Jujuy, heading the ticket forCongress candidates in that province, and Juan Carlos Giordano, third in the Buenos Aires Province ticket, are both seeking re-election.
– TIMES/NA
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