An opposition leader in Buenos Aires province on Thursday accused Governor María Eugenia Vidal of attempted "electoral manipulation".
Vidal's coalition lawmakers sealed an agreement with the dissident Peronist Renewal Front to look at a plan to bring the province's general and gubernatorial vote forward, before the national elections, despite Vidal having vehemently dismissed early rumours.
"There is much speculation about the provincial and national candidacies. But we would have to ask Vidal what all of this is about because we're clearly looking at electoral manipulation", the leader of the Citizens United Senate bloc Teresa García allaged.
"There are those who believe the Governor will also be a national candidate", the Senator alleged, following a congressional meeting on the issue, which was held in the coastal city of Mar del Plata.
An ally of former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, García took aim at the governor, claiming the proposed changes should "have been addressed in any other year but one in which Buenos Aires residents are going to the polls so it could be debated seriously".
Voters should "pay attention to who [Vidal's] candidate for vice-governor is", she added, explaining that if Vidal chose to replace a poorly polling Mauricio Macri as the Cambiemos (Let's Change) coalition's candidate for president, that person would end up governing the province.
"Vidal needs to address where she will be a candidate", García urged. "It's evident that Macri will loose the election because the country is in a mess and Argentines are not fools... This is why they (the government) put on this show and manipulation", she added.
'NOT ON MY AGENDA'
Governor Vidal dismissed rumours she was considering changing the province's electoral calendar in November during an interview with Perfil.
"I have not spoken about that, not in public nor privately, and I will not," Vidal said.
"It is not time to define the electoral calendar or candidacies. I am concentrated on carrying out outstanding tasks, visiting schools, hospitals and not thinking about the electoral calendar or candidacies. There will be time for that," she said.
See also: Vidal: 'If Kirchnerism is part of the future, that's a decision of the people'
-TIMES
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