By Anna-Catherine Brigida
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Candidates for Argentina’s October general election are assembling for what looks to be an open and uncertain race, with most established political leaders on the sidelines after President Alberto Fernandez last week ruled out reelection.
These are the main potential candidates in alphabetical order of their surname. Most will face an open primary election vote in August to represent their coalition or party.
PATRICIA BULLRICH
Bullrich, 66, who served as security minister under former conservative President Mauricio Macri, is promising a tough on crime approach. She represents the more hardline wing of the Together for Change opposition coalition.
CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER
The powerful vice president and former two-term president has said she will not run. But if she changes her mind and pulls off a surprise, she commands rock star status with legions of supporters who love her populist style. Fernandez de Kirchner, 70, represents the left-wing of the Front for All Peronist coalition.
HORACIO RODRIGUEZ LARRETA
Buenos Aires Mayor Rodriguez Larreta, 57, has positioned himself as the more moderate conservative candidate. He leads most polls to edge out Bullrich for the Together for Change nomination in the primaries.
SERGIO MASSA
Economy Minister Massa, 50, has not announced himself as a candidate, though some polls show him second only to Fernandez de Kirchner were he to run for the Front for All ruling Peronist coalition nomination. But with inflation exceeding 100%, Massa’s popularity could take a hit from ongoing economic crises.
JAVIER MILEI
Far-right libertarian outsider Milei, 52, an economist with wild sideburns who has promised to abolish the central bank, has surged in polls as voters have grown angry at the status quo. While he is the highest polling single candidate, his party, La Libertad Avanza, ranks third in polls behind the opposition Together for Change and ruling Front for All coalitions.
EDUARDO ‘WADO’ DE PEDRO
A close ally to VP Fernandez de Kirchner, Interior Minister ‘Wado’ De Pedro, 46, could represent the “kirchnerista” faction of Front for All in the August primaries if she sticks by her plan not to run.
DANIEL SCIOLI
A political veteran, the former governor of Buenos Aires province is seeking to represent Front for All again after losing to conservative Macri in 2015. A moderate, Scioli, 66, is pledging to end deep political polarization in Argentina although he may lack widespread support.
(Reporting by Anna-Catherine Brigida; Editing by Nicolás Misculin and David Gregorio)
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