It was tennis day and two businessmen were enjoying a drink after a match at their club. Another friend came over to discuss current issues. The situation in Argentinawith the case Alberto Fernandezthe topics of insecurity (“I just put cameras in my house,” one commented), and others. The winner of the match asked: “And here? Who wins? It’s a close fight, isn’t it?… like in the match,” he joked. “Yes, clearly. I don’t know… I would like the coalition to continue,” confessed his companion, with real estate and industrial businesses. “I’m more worried about something else,” the other one chimed in. “What thing?” they asked him.
“I learned that tomorrow (Friday) a survey will be released with a high percentage of support for the plebiscite of PIT-CNT“He replied. “But how much?” they asked. “It’s close to 50%…” “What?” one of the others responded. “Uhhh… worrying, you’re right.”
Uncertainty about this issue appears in all discussions, especially at a professional and business level. There is a conviction that the initiative, if approved, could cause Uruguay irreparable damage. “The problem is that it is not a simple matter to explain to the common people,” the first reflected. “It is true, but beyond that, the issue is about accepting that what the PIT proposes is sweet for today, for people who are going to retire, they lower the age… a cake!” he said with some anger. “The issue is who pays for that… future Uruguayans,” he added. “We have to see,” said the third, there is still a lot of misinformation.
The return of Bordaberry
The decision of Pedro Bordaberry returning to the political arena has caused a shock in the Colorado Party. “Citizens -the group that created Ernesto Talvi– “He practically has his death certificate,” said a lawyer with a long history of Colorado activism. “Robert is on tenterhooks…” she added. “Look, he went from fighting for the presidential candidacy to being in third place within the party,” she said, as she left a meeting to meet with other party members.
The fall of Ciudadanos occurs simultaneously with the resurgence of Let’s go Uruguaythe Bordaberry group, whose list 10 agreed with the groups of Gabriel Gurméndez and Tabare Vierato establish a single list at Senateobviously headed by Bordaberry. “Did he agree? He ate them up!” said the lawyer, with some indignation at the way in which the former senator and former minister returned to the field. Contrary to what Ernesto Tavi had done after winning the primaries in 2019, when he did not allow Bordaberry to return, this time Andres Ojedathe presidential candidate elected in the primaries, gave the green light.
“Isn’t Andrés regretting it? Pedro started off with a lot of wind in his sails and it seems like he’s just another presidential candidate…”, asked a Colorado militant. Maldonadowho was walking around Montevideo and took the opportunity to meet with his coreligionists in the capital. “Relax…”, responded a member of the Colorado youth close to Ojeda, talking to his friend as they left the Faculty. “Until now it has been all gain for Andrés: he was already rising in the polls after the internal election and now with the arrival of Pedro the Colorado Party is going to have a new boost and will be on par with the National Party“Remember what I told you,” he reasoned enthusiastically, as they stopped at the traffic light. “Are you being too optimistic?” they answered. “Not at all! Look, the gap is getting shorter and shorter. The National Party is as low as 20 points in some polls and Andrés is already up by 15 in others. If we do things right, we will fight to lead the coalition,” responded the young Colorado enthusiastically, who feels that this time, his party may have a chance. “Ernesto Talvi’s withdrawal made us fall back many places, but now the party is ready to lead a new coalition government,” he concluded.
Many Colorados, however, are not convinced by Bordaberry’s strategy and wonder why Pedro did not go directly to the internal elections. “You know what happens?” the young activist began to explain. “Bordaberry has a low ceiling and will never become President, he knows it; that is why he considered it unnecessary to wear himself out in an internal campaign. Ojeda is much better at bringing new votes to the party (…). What Pedro does is much more effective in rearming his group and supporting Andrés…” he said. His friend looked at him… doubtfully. “Forgive me, but Bordaberry’s attitude is totally independent and he has never been seen with Ojeda. Are you saying that there will be a joint event or something like that?” His friend did not answer and pointed him to the entrance of the Bar Sportman. “Come, we will continue chatting here.” They ordered two coffees and resumed. “The Colorado ticket is Ojeda-Silva. It is true that Robert has been hit hard by all this incident where he has not had any luck, but there is no need to be confused: if you vote for the 10th you vote for Bordaberry but you also vote for Ojeda-Silva,” the activist responded while watching the television screens where the news showed Bordaberry with the National Party candidate, Alvaro Delgado. “Do you think that this type of meeting implies support for Ojeda? It seems like he was the candidate, man.” They ordered another coffee and football took over the conversation, at least for now.
Radio silence
The decision of Yamandú Orsi(or should we say, the Broad Front) of not going to events where the rest of the candidates of the coalition are going ahead and is complicating things for many organizations that thought they would count on him. “He is generating a lot of heat, and rightly so,” commented a businessman in the trade, director of one of the main chambers. There is one event that stands out on the agenda for the next few weeks: the presentation of the Confederation of Business Chambers in the Prado Expo“Everyone always goes there, it would be a disgrace if he didn’t go,” he added. “Forget it,” a colleague replied on the phone. “He won’t go.”
In recent days the president of the Confederation, Diego O’Neillwith other executives, received Orsi, who was accompanied by the senator Alejandro Sanchez and by the economist Gabriel Oddone. And there was no change in strategy; everything indicates that he will not go.
“The polls are in favor of the FA and the candidate is weak. Neither for the first nor for the second is there any interest in participating and confronting; much less in debating,” added the businessman who was on the other end of the phone, speaking from the field.
Alvaro Delgado
The last few days have not been easy for the National Party in terms of the electoral campaign. The polls showed a clear drop in voting intention and the main referents exchange interpretations with their close associates. People from the blacksmithing fears that the election of Valeria Ripoll as a vice-presidential candidate is taking its toll on them. “It has nothing to do with it!” responded a top leader linked to Álvaro Delgado since the beginning of Fresh airhis group in the National Party. “Look at the following -he began-: the National Party always has a certain setback after the internal elections and this year is no exception, but it is going to start to recover and Álvaro is on a very clear path to prove himself presidential: the first proposals have already begun to be made. We present Diego Labat As future Minister of Economy, we are proposing measures for the education and more initiatives are coming. Remember: from now on the candidacy is confirmed.”
A colleague was listening to him, looking at a newspaper on his desk in an office at the headquarters of the command on Bulevar Artigas Street. While his colleague was talking, he showed the other an article with the data from one of the recent surveys, in which the graph showed a sharp downward step in the evolution of the voting intention of the whites. His colleague made a face at him and hung up the phone. “Do you think this can be reversed? Besides, look how the Colorado Party is rising…”
“Let’s see if we understand each other,” the leader replied, somewhat irritated. “If we want to win this election, the Colorado Party has to get up, right? And I would say that Cabildo too, and that could imply a certain cost for the National Party, do you understand?” His interlocutor nodded, although not very convinced. And he retorted: “The problems of the Cabildo party don’t help either.” Artigas “No?” “You will see that this is not going to move the needle too much,” the Aire Fresco candidate replied, convinced. “The important thing – we have spoken with political scientists – is that there is no atmosphere of change: most people are in favour of continuity and what we have to guarantee to these people is that. The campaign has just begun and the atmosphere is for the coalition to continue, believe me,” he concluded, convinced.
Source: Ambito
