La Pampa: with a low level of participation, the election is closed and in JxC we are waiting for the result

(From Santa Rosa, La Pampa. Special Envoy). La Pampa closed the first election of the electoral calendar and the results that define the opposition candidate who will compete for the post of governor against Sergio Ziliottolocal representative, in the May 14 Generals. national deputies Martin Berhongarayof the UCR, and Martin Maquieyra, of the PRO, to regulate the candidature of Together for the change (JxC). The election was optional for voters and turnout was low. As found GlobeLiveMedia with sources from the opposition and the local ruling party, at the close of the polls, they believed that only 16% of qualified pampeanos went to vote

The province is electing candidates for governors, mayors and legislators from parties that failed to reach unity lists. At JvC, we expect to know who will be the winning candidate. The Pampa election has been nationalized in recent weeks and the internal candidacy of the national leadership marched through La Pampa in support of their candidates.

Although La Pampa accounts for 0.86% of the nation’s census, its relevance is critical to the federal electoral arena. This is an essential competition for the JxC national candidacy, in the midst of presidential and provincial candidacies. This is why, this afternoon, the staff of the opposition coalition followed minute by minute the fight between Maquieyra and Berhongaray. At JxC, the result is expected and the PRO and UCR are looking to win the first electoral victory of the year.

Horace Rodriguez Larreta, mayor of the City, bets strongly on the figure of Maquieyra because he is looking for the first bean of his presidential project. In this sense, Larretismo provided support and “irons” to promote the deputy.

In any case, Maquieyra got the support of all the PRO heavyweights. In the weeks leading up to the election, they circulated in La Pampa de Rodríguez Larreta itself in Mauricio Macri, Patricia Bullrich and Maria Eugenia Vidal. They all toured and were photographed with the yellow party candidate. However, at the political table in Parque Patricios, they bet on Berhongaray’s defeat and recorded it as their own victory.

During this time, Berhongaray had the support of the entire radical apparatus at the national level. Thursday, at the end of the campaign, they were Lousteau, Yacobitti and Gerardo Morales.Governor of Jujuy and National President of the UCR. Facundo Manes, national deputy and pre-candidate for the radical presidency, could not be present and sent a video of support to the Pampean lawyer. As learned GlobeLiveMedia, close to the neurologist and also to Lousteau, they do not rule out coming to La Pampa in case the radical candidate wins.

The peculiarity of the Pampean electoral system, added to the low participation rate, allows a rapid examination. It is expected that before 7:00 p.m. the first results will be known and around 8:00 p.m., more precise data. In the UCR, they consider that they will be taxed in cities like Santa Rosa and Eduardo Castex, of weight in the provincial register. Meanwhile, in the PRO, they hope to succeed in General Pico and other towns in the interior of the Pampas. In both sectors, they are cautious and agree that the latter location may be key to defining the election.

This is not the first time the province has implemented this system of Open, Concurrent and Mandatory Internal Affairs (IASO). However, on this occasion, as they were optional for voters, the level of turnout was low. And so far, political party monitoring data supports this hypothesis. In La Pampa, 238,000 pampas are authorized to vote. That is, 0.86% of Argentina’s total census. It is estimated that at the end of the poll, approximately 40,000 citizens voted.

The main gubernatorial candidates voted in the morning. At 10:30 a.m., Maquieyra did, at General Pico Normal School, his hometown. “We are very good. We hope to make a good choice”, remained hopeful the PRO candidate interviewed by GlobeLiveMedia. In turn, in statements to the press, Maquieyra underlined the low level of participation and called on citizens to come and vote because “it’s good for democracy.” At noon, the chief shared a barbecue with his family.He will await the results at General Pico and will go to Santa Rosa in the evening.

Meanwhile, Berhongaray voted at 11:10 a.m. at the provincial school in Santa Rosa. The radical arrived accompanied by his two children and his wife. “This is a very important election for the national UCR because a good result can define or promote the role of radicalism in JxC,” said the national deputy in statements to GlobeLiveMedia. The national lawmaker was cautious about the results, although like his peer he also pointed to the “low” level of voting in general.

In Santa Rosa’s PRO bunker on Pedro Luro Street, Maquieyra’s campaign teams met early to coordinate election monitoring and logistics. Carlos “Colo” Mac Allister, a former PRO national deputy, ran the party headquarters and supervised the militants.

Also, national leaders such as Senator Alfredo De Angelis and former Mayor of San Miguel, Joaquín De La Torre joined the PRO. The latter, one of Patricia Bullrich’s pre-candidates for the post of governor of Buenos Aires. In turn, there was also a group of collaborators close to Rodríguez Larreta, who came to La Pampa to support the election.

Meanwhile, in the Radical Civic Union’s provincial committee on Pellegrini Street in the capital, co-religionists from the Berhongaray campaign team were working early. The candidate was tasked with visiting schools and towns surrounding Santa Rosa during the day. Meanwhile, Hipólito Altolaguirre, a provincial legislator and the UCR’s top parliamentary candidate, oversees the logistics of the election to the Radical seat.

There are 165 educational institutions ready to vote. Most congregate in Santa Rosa and General Pico, towns that make up 70% of the provincial registry. However, due to the local electoral system, schools are split between those for “independent” voters and the rest, in which those affiliated with political parties pay.

According to figures from the Provincial Electoral Tribunal, of the total number of voters in the pampas, 222,160 are independent, 1,410 are affiliated with the Official Front Pampeana Justicialista and 14,662 are affiliated with the parties that make up JxC -the UCR and the PRO , mostly-.

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