The aftermath following the suspension of the Boca Juniors elections continues. After the two competing ballots failed to reach an agreement in a mediation hearing, the club’s sitting board decided to appeal the ruling of judge Alejandra Abrevaya that is keeping the elections on hold. Voting, which was originally scheduled for Sunday, has been indefinitely postponed by a court due to alleged irregularities in the electoral roll. 

As the situation stands now, the National Court of Appeals has a deadline of five working days to decide whether it upholds Abrevaya’s ruling or not. If it’s struck down, the earliest date the elections could take place is December 17, given that the weekend of December 9 and 10 is unavailable due to Javier Milei’s presidential inauguration. 

However, if the ruling stands, Boca members will have to wait until 2024 for a final decision, since the majority of the judiciary will be on formal leave from December 26 to January 31. During this period, known as the Judicial Fair, courts operate at a minimum capacity, and all major proceedings are put on hold. 

Representatives from both sides met in a court mediation hearing on Thursday. Club secretary Ricardo Rosica and legal advisor Walter Krieger appeared on behalf of current board candidate Juan Román Riquelme, while Javier Medín and Sebastián Silvestri represented Andrés Ibarra and former president Mauricio Macri. However, they failed to reach an agreement.

During the mediation, Medín and Silvestri requested that the alleged irregularities be thoroughly investigated. They also proposed that members suspected of having been irregularly added to the electoral roll be stricken. The current board representatives rejected the idea.

Rosica and Krieger counteroffered that the election take place and that the votes made by members under suspicion be kept on a different list.  According to their request, the elections would be considered valid only as long as these votes aren’t required to settle a winner. 

Ibarra and Macri’s representatives refused the proposal. In their view, there are over 13,000 club members who should be under investigation, while the current board claims that irregular members are only around 4,100.

“We didn’t have the luck they had in the last election,” said Rosica, referencing the 2019 elections in Boca, where similar irregularities were reported and the current opposition was in power. “We didn’t have a judge agreeing with us; we just went to vote, and that was all.”

This poses problems for the Xeneize on the sporting front as well. The first team is without a permanent coach, with reserves boss Mariano Herrón taking the helm on a temporary basis after Jorge Almiron resigned.

With many names in the rumor roulette, the decision could be delayed until the new board is decided. This may discourage potential candidates from taking the job given the risk of a possible change in command.

With no estimated date yet for the elections, Jorge Ameal could continue as president of the club until elections are scheduled.

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