MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's ruling party keeps losing political ground, poll says

CFK is believed to still be ruling from the background

Argentina's ruling Frente de Todos (FdT) coalition looks poised to a defeat at Nov- 14's mid-term elections worse than the one suffered Sept. 14 during the Mandatory, Open and Sim, simultaneous Primary (PASO) elections, according to a Solmoirago poll released Monday.

The study showed data were collected between September 19 and 23, which is after Sept. 17's cabinet reshuffle by President Alberto Fernández, who is trying to rebuild his negative image.

A recent meeting between Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta with former US President Bill Clinton seems to secure Fernández the “anti imperialist” vote, but how far that can lead him remains to be seen. In any case, the current administration has little if anything to show for with which to attract voters, other than fear of the return of Macrism.

The Solmoirago survey concluded that 81% of voters are more concerned about the economic situation than the coronavirus (7%), while 91.1% of the Argentine constituency believed the economic situation was between bad and very bad and 56.1% foresee “it will take several years to reactivate the economy.”

Regarding government management, more than 70% disapprove of it, while 26.6% thought it was good. According to Solmoirago, in June the voting intention of the FdT at national level reached 29.1% and is now at 26%, while those openly against it rose from 51.2% to 66%.

The report also said former President and current Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was the most important leader with the FdT, while Rodríguez Larreta was her most prominent rival. And 89.8% of people reviewed thought the Vice President was actually making the government's calls while only 5.3% believed Alberto Fernández was at the real helm of the country.

On the other end, Larreta edged former President Mauricio Macri by 27.2% to 26.2%, both closely followed by their PRO Party Chairwoman Patricia Bullrich with 24.5%.

In this scenario, a group of Peronists have already launched Córdoba Governor Juan Schiaretti's candidacy for president in 2023 in open challenge to CFK and even Alberto Fernández himself and also in an attempt to distance themselves from Kirchnerism.