Scioli launched his campaign: “Primaries are the best form of unity”

The Ambassador to Brazil will compete for the presidential nomination in the UxP coalition primaries

Daniel Scioli launched his presidential campaign. Credit: Télam

Amidst the heavy rumors and speculations Thursday surrounding the Unión por la Patria (UxP) coalition candidates, Ambassador to Brazil Daniel Scioli launched his presidential campaign in a venue in downtown Buenos Aires city reiterating his will to compete in the upcoming primaries, despite strong resistance from other UxP factions: “Primaries are the best form of unity.”

Scioli will compete with the ballot Unidos triunfaremos (UT, Together we will win) within the UxP coalition primaries on August 13. Scioli, who said he’ll announce his running mate before the Saturday at midnight deadline, was joined on stage by other candidates on his ballot, including current Social minister Victoria Tolosa Paz, who will run for Buenos Aires province governor, and trucking union leader Hugo Moyano, running for national deputy, also for BA province. 

During his presentation, Scioli spoke directly to his coalition rivals, particularly the kirchnerista faction, who in the past days have sought to dissuade him from running through rules of procedure regarding candidacy endorsements which initially did not allow him to run, but were eventually changed. 

“Even if they ask us for endorsements, even if they don’t want primaries, they will find our ballot in the dark room,” Scioli said, while clarifying that what he is doing is not against anyone, and that he doesn’t consider any fellow coalition member an “adversary.”

“Some are worried about unity, but don’t worry, unity is guaranteed with us. Primaries are the best form of unity,” he said, adding that the only vote that matters is the people’s vote. 

Present at the event were also Foreign Affairs minister Santiago Cafiero and National Security minister Aníbal Fernández, a sign of the tacit support President Alberto Fernández has given to the former Buenos Aires province governor’s campaign. Scioli defended the president, saying he had managed to keep the ruling coalition together despite the infighting, and that the economy is “in motion.”

“Argentina is moving along. Don’t tell me there’s a standstill, because there’s full employment in twenty provinces,” he said. Tolosa Paz echoed his comments, saying that together with Scioli they have defended the government every step of the way, “like a mother defending her family.”

Scioli also rejected the ultra-right tendencies of some opposition sectors, comparing them to former Brazilian president Jain Bolsonaro activists he saw during his time as ambassador in that country. 

“I saw what bolsonarismo looks like in Brazil, and I don’t want that for Argentina,” he stated. 

Daniel Scioli, a former offshore powerboat racer, began his political career running for Buenos Aires city national deputy for the Partido Justicialista in 1997. After being vice-president under President Néstor Kirchner from 2003 to 2007, he became Buenos Aires province governor. At the end of his second term, in 2015, he ran as a presidential candidate, eventually losing in a runoff against former right-wing president Maurcio Macri.

-with information from Télam

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