Buenos Aires Province, February 5 — Amid the cold war between 'La Cámpora' and the 'Movement for the Right to the Future' (MDF), Governor of Buenos Aires Axel Kicillof would have reportedly agreed to a proposal by Máximo Kirchner to succeed him as head of the Buenos Aires Justicialist Party (PJ), three days before the deadline for submitting lists. 'Everything is pointing towards Axel Kicillof becoming the new head of the Buenos Aires PJ,' high-ranking sources from Kicillof's circle told the Argentine News Agency. Although the governor's original intention was for his deputy, Verónica Magario, to head a unity list for the leadership change, effective March 15, he would have ultimately accepted being the one to replace Kirchner at the party. Ultimately, Kicillof's circle believes that the condition set during negotiations with Kirchnerism will be met: that party leadership 'must align with the government's guidelines, as is the case in all provinces with Peronist governments.' 'This is what the MDF demanded in the context of talks over the party presidency,' the consulted sources from Kicillof's circle added. Nevertheless, a source from Kicillof's circle continues to clarify that 'the candidate from our sector' is still Magario and that 'Axel will only consider heading the Buenos Aires PJ if there is a broad consensus that it should be him.' From 'La Cámpora,' they informed the Argentine News Agency that 'it is best for the PJ president to be Axel to end the internal conflict and to give a definitive closure to this issue of our sector demanding that someone from the MDF hold the position.' 'The discussion will reach a successful conclusion,' those close to Máximo Kirchner affirmed. How things are developing From this last communication, it can only be interpreted that Kicillof has already reportedly accepted the proposal to head the Buenos Aires PJ and is now waiting for the 'clamor operation' to expand to formally accept the offer. Among the numerous group of mayors supporting the governor, some had already been asking him to take charge of the Buenos Aires PJ personally, while others advised him to insist on Magario's nomination. Once that issue is resolved, the discussion will now focus on the proportion of seats each faction will get in the composition of the party council and who will lead the PJ's provincial congress. While 'La Cámpora' demands 50% of the representation quota in the council, the MDF believes that the governor's relative weight in the province should correspond to a larger share in the party structure. The dispute over the presidency of the party congress (currently held by the mayor of La Matanza, Fernando Espinoza) is also important, as this body is crucial for formulating the party's alliance strategy for each election. In the March 15 elections, in addition to the new PJ president, two vice presidents and councilors for each of the eight electoral sections and the three branches of Peronism—youth, women, and labor—will be elected.
