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🇦🇷 Argentina /Elections & Politics

Massa seeks to capitalize on Cristina-Kicillof rift to become candidate of a united Peronist movement

From Clarín · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Context piece
  • Sergio Massa has kept a low public profile while participating in discussions about Peronism’s strategy and candidate lists for the 2027 elections.
  • His allies see an opportunity to challenge President Javier Milei if economic warning signs worsen, and they envisage Massa leading a united Peronist structure.
  • Massa’s possible path could involve a primary against Axel Kicillof or a candidate from the Kirchnerist wing, while his relationship with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner remains politically relevant.

Sergio Massa has not spoken publicly since at least March 15, 2025, but his political silence has not kept him out of the race to shape Argentina’s 2027 election. The Frente Renovador leader is holding discussions with his team about provincial and national alliances, while staying largely away from the media.

Massa took part in campaign activities in 2025, when speculation grew around a candidacy that never materialized. He has otherwise maintained a very low profile, with a possible appearance at a youth plenary on September 19 as one of the few anticipated public events.

Behind the scenes, he remains involved in meetings on Peronism’s strategy and the construction of candidate lists across the country, province by province and municipality by municipality. Nearly a month after an August 12 meeting at Buenos Aires’ Emperador Hotel with Axel Kicillof, Máximo Kirchner and opposition leaders José Mayans and Gerardo Zamora, Massa is discussing what comes next under a clear message: he is prepared to compete, but only within a united Peronist movement.

When Peronism smells blood, it will come out and have a candidate who can beat Milei.

· Sergio Massa’s political circleThe phrase captures allies’ belief that worsening economic conditions could create an opening for a united Peronist challenge.

People close to Massa believe the opposition could have a genuine chance to fight Javier Milei’s party vote by vote, and possibly defeat it, if economic warning signs grow in the coming months. They acknowledge that the libertarians still have time to recover, as they did in 2025, but see an opening. One formulation circulating in Frente Renovador offices is: “When Peronism smells blood, it will come out and have a candidate who can beat Milei.”

That candidate could be Massa at the head of a structure encompassing the entire party, or he could face a primary against Kicillof or a figure emerging from Kirchnerism. His current rapport with Máximo Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner reflects his reading of the political moment. Massa speaks with Cristina intermittently, while his team argues that, with her imprisoned and unable to take part electorally, “Kirchnerism today has the smaller share of the pen.”

Kirchnerism today has the smaller share of the pen.

· Sergio Massa, as quoted by the articleThe remark describes how Massa’s team views the balance of influence over candidate lists while Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is out of electoral action.
About this summary

Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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