MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Governor reelected in Argentine province of Corrientes heralds further defeats for President Fernández's party

Macri congratulated Gov. Valdés on his reelection

Incumbent Governor Gustavo Valdés of the Radical Civil Union (UCR) was reelected Sunday for a new four-year term in office at the helm of the Argentine province of Corrientes.

After vote count at over 60% of the polling stations, Valdés was quashing Fabián Ríos, of the Frente de Todos (FdT) of President Alberto Fernández by 75 % of the votres against 24%.

At national level, the UCR is a part of former President Mauricio Macri's Juntos por el Cambio (JxC) coalition.

Macri was among the first to congratulate Valdés on his victory through a Twitter posting: “Dear Gustavo, congratulations for the fair recognition of your work and that of the entire team. Corrientes today demonstrated a deep commitment to democracy,” the former head of state wrote.

UCR chairman and former Mendoza Governor Alfredo Cornejo highlighted Valdés' overwhelming win: “Theese are very high percentages. Very few governors from Peronism have won by these numbers, and surely no radical governor did so by such a large number” .

Percentages were also within the same proportion regarding deputies and senators to the provincial Legislature, where the UCR looked poinsed to increasing its presence.

Corrientes' results are also believed to be heralding the FdT's large ratings of disapproval nationwide, which is expected to be ratified in the September 12's Open Primary, Simultaneous and Mandatory (PASO) elections, ahead of the November mid-term polls where Kirchnerism is believed to be losing substantial parliamentary ground.

Cornejo insisted Valdés' win was “a triumph of Together for Change (JxC), categorically it is a triumph of the coalition. Gustavo Valdés and the radicalism of Corrientes are full members of JxC and have PRO leaders integrated in their government and the national government does not have the strength it had in 2019 and 2020. In 2021 it has weakened.”

In 2017 Valdés had been elected governor by 54% of the votes against Carlos Espínola's 45%. In the October 2019 presidential elections, however, the Macri-Pichetto ticket lost by 20 percentage points against Alberto and Cristina Fernández.

Corrientes' climate of political violence is also believed to have played a part in the outcome, after a provincial deputy had been shot at during a rally, allegedly by rival factions from within FdT (Peronism) ranks.

Read also: Legislator from the Argentine province of Corrientes shot during a campaign speech — MercoPress

Deputy Miguel Arias was shot in in the town of Tapebicuá in the abdomen and was reported Sunday to be recovering well at a hospital in the provincial capital, where Michael Caine and Richard Gere starred in the 1983 movie The Honorary Consul, based on Graham Greene's thriller of the same name.