The "downtown avenue" will also fight in the Province: with a radical focus, it presented a broad coalition of parties

The discussion proved more intense and prolonged than expected. The "centrist coalition," which is being built by sectors of the UCR, the CC, the GEN, the non-Kirchnerist "Peronist" groups, and former Radicals , appears fraught with difficulties. It attempts to express the political space far removed from the extremes: the front led by Peronism and the recently formalized La Libertad Avanza (Freedom Advances).

In the short week that ended at the last minute on July 9, the deadline for submitting alliances to the electoral board, there were countless cross-party meetings, plenary sessions, and attempts at seduction that all sought a complex dual objective: to bridge the gap between diverse and varied sectors; and to prevent the "center" from presenting two bids for the provincial legislative elections on September 7.

Almost at the appointed hour, a conglomerate of groups representing the sector seeking a "moderated alternative" was preparing to register a new name for the provincial electoral competition . The name of the front is Somos Buenos Aires .

With the Radical Party and its infantry represented by the 27 mayors who manage municipalities in the interior, the proto-Peronism that Miguel Schiaretti from Córdoba “exports” , the dissidents of the Buenos Aires PJ , Fernando Grey (mayor of Esteban Echeverría), Julio Zamora (from Tigre), the sector that answers to Emilio Monzó , the line of Joaquín de la Torre and these parties are associated: the CC (of Elisa Carrió), the GEN (of Margarita Stolbizer); Hacemos (of Florencio Randazzo) and the provincial socialist party.

Furthermore, national representative Facundo Manes, who left the Radical bloc less than two months ago with a slammed door and criticism of his former party members, found a way back into the fray. He will now join this centrist group.

The representatives of the groups were so pressed by the difficulties in reaching an agreement that they only agreed on the name of the front: Somos Buenos Aires, at press time. The final discussions were attempting to define the names of the representatives of each institution.

The candidates were even less defined. The "central avenue" will compete in the eight electoral sections, where the renewal of 23 provincial senators and 46 provincial deputies will be at stake. Also in the 135 municipalities, nearly 1,100 councilors who have left their seats will need to be reinstated.

This grouping could add a "yellow" mayor, dissatisfied with the negotiations approved by the Cristian Ritondo-Diego Santilli duo, to join La Libertad Avanza. Therefore, the draft constitutive act requested the Electoral Board to allow any other political force that so desires to join "either as full members of the Alliance or as adherents."

The connecting thread between this diverse electoral score is that everyone intends to distance themselves from the extremes that—they believe—are currently expressed by the Buenos Aires province's Kirchnerism and the LLA Front, built around the leadership of Karina Milei and Santiago Caputo, the digitizers of the provincial libertarian strategy.

It has—as is clear from the seals and leaders who signed it —a Peronist base and a structure of institutional radicalism.

If the formation of this currently unnamed alliance involved countless instances of negotiation, what's coming will be even more intense. All those names, parties, and leaders will have to resolve the placement of the handful of candidates who will have a chance of securing a spot in the deliberative chambers.

"There are a lot of stamps and few chances of getting votes," summarizes, acknowledges, and confesses a leader who spent more than five hours meeting in one of the committees where the coalition was defined.

Due to its territorial presence, the Radical Party will seek a certain degree of dominance in the interior sections. And for its pro-Peronist members, nominations in the "giant" First and Third sections, which correspond to the Greater Buenos Aires, will be reserved.

Possible candidates include Zamora, to head the Primera (Northern GBA) ticket. Zavaleta and De la Torre are also registered there.

And the Third, which became a star due to Cristina Fernández's truncated candidacy, could have as candidates Fernando Grey (mayor of Esteban Echeverría, from the "dissident" Peronism), or Nazarena Mesías (provincial deputy, from Lanús close to Manes) or the option of the economist Carlos Melconian, promoted by Monzoism.

In the Second (north of the Province), it remains to be seen what strategy the mayor of San Nicolás, Manuel Passaglia, will deploy, as he is far removed from the PRO-LLA agreement and could intervene in this area.

In the Fifth Section (Buenos Aires coast and central Buenos Aires province), the Radical mayors (there are 12 in that region) would appoint the candidate, and in the Fourth Section, the followers of Miguel Fernández, one of the Radical Party's presidents, who is prevalent in western Buenos Aires, would do so. Monzó is also from there. The dispute over the handling of the appointment there has reportedly delayed the finalization of the agreement, according to what both sectors told this newspaper.

In the Seventh (center, based in Azul and Olavarría), the "middle avenue" has a tough time. It must obtain 33% of the votes to reach the floor for the distribution of the three senators up for grabs. With the expected polarization between the Kirchnerist ruling party and the Libertarians, this is difficult to achieve.

The Eighth Section is La Plata. The Evolutionist faction, the internal Radical faction led by Senator Martín Lousteau, could be left to determine the top of the list. Six deputies are elected, and a minimum of 16% of the vote is required to aspire to a seat in the Legislature.

The traditional left also finalized its alliances this Wednesday. There were no surprises in this political space that always presents its electoral offers. Although there were attempts to expand the coalition with more forces, the outcome remained the same as in previous elections. But the sector has already confirmed its main candidates.

The Left and Workers' Unity Front (FIT-U) registered the alliance comprising four parties: the Workers' Party, the PTS, the MST, and the Socialist Left. The alliance will be led in the third section by Nicolás Del Caño, and in the first by Romina del Plá, the teacher leader who was a national deputy for the province. Also occupying central positions in the first and third sections will be Néstor Pitrola, a deputy serving his term for the province of Buenos Aires, and provincial leader Pablo Giachello, according to reports released tonight.