MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Opposition party wins open primaries in Argentine province of Santa Fe

“Today the people chose the path of experience and management,” Rodríguez Larreta said when celebrating with Pullaro

With a turnout of 60%, the Argentine province of Santa Fe Sunday held its open, mandatory, and simultaneous primary (PASO) elections in which the opposition Unidos para Cambiar Santa Fe recorded a sound victory over the ruling Peronists.

Within the winning alliance, which is the local version of Together for Change (Juntos por el Cambio - JxC), Maximiliano Pullaro defeated Carolina Losada in the race for the governorship. Pullaro is aligned with Buenos Aires City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and Losada, who acknowledged the defeat during a press conference, was the candidate of former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich ahead of the Aug. 13 presidential PASO elections. Santa Fe will hold gubernatorial elections on Sept. 10.

Nevertheless, Bullrich also celebrated the victory of the opposition alliance in Santa Fe and congratulated Pullaro. “I congratulate @maxipullaro for his victory. He will have my support and that of all my team. Santa Fe deserves to live in peace,” wrote Bullrich on Twitter in reference to the numerous shootings taking place in Santa Fe's largest city: Rosario.

“We achieved a historic victory for Juntos por el Cambio in Santa Fe. This ratifies that the change that Argentines are asking for comes from the hand of our force,” she added.

Santa Fe is currently ruled by the Peronist Omar Perotti and has a register of 2,843,155 citizens eligible to vote; among them some 80,000 young people between 16 and 17 years of age. Its Constitution prevents the governor's reelection.

On the Peronist side, journalist Marcelo Lewandowski will be Pullaro's main contender in September. “We always proposed, we always talked about ideas and the confrontations were up to the mark. Therefore, from tomorrow we will all work together with a lot of commitment and think about a completely different election between now and September 10,” Lewandowski said.

Other smaller parties will submit their candidacies but collected single-digit votes in Sunday's PASO elections.

Rodríguez Larreta joined Pullaro in Santa Fe for the celebration. “Congratulations to all Santa Fe people for today's election, and congratulations for the triumph to @maxipullaro and @GiScaglia who are now our candidates for governor and vice-governor,” he posted on Twitter.

“Today the people chose the path of experience and management. Without shouting, with determination and political decision and with a solid and prepared team, Maxi took charge and improved security in the province. That is why I know he is the best governor for Santa Fe. This is the kind of leadership we need if we want to change Argentina seriously and forever,” he added.

“This is the way we are going to change Santa Fe and all of Argentina: united and working together all of us who want a different country. The enemies we fight against are insecurity, poverty and abandonment proposed by Kirchnerism, that is why we have to be together to face them and really change people's lives”, he concluded.