Argentina’s elections give reasons for hope

(PHOTO: MAXIE AMENA/ LA NACION)

The race for Argentina’s October presidential elections has started with a big surprise: pro-business Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri is ahead in several polls, and has a chance of ending 12 years of leftist-populist Kirchner family-led Peronist governments.

Before we get into whether he will be able to win, let’s review what Macri told me in a wide-ranging interview a few days ago.

Macri, an engineer who presided over the popular Boca Juniors soccer club before he was elected Buenos Aires mayor in 2007, is slightly ahead in two of four recent nationwide polls. The polling firms Polldata and Giacobbe and Associates have him in the lead, while a poll by Management & Fit puts him in a virtual tie with possible government-backed candidate and Buenos Aires province Gov. Daniel Scioli, and a fourth survey by the Poliarquia polling firm has him trailing Scioli.

Asked how he expects to win against a government-backed candidate who will presumably have more resources and television time, Macri told me that he has already proved that he can do it.

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