Radical presidential frontrunners agree non-aggression pact
Herald staff
Vice-President Julio Cobos and Radical Deputy Ricardo Alfonsín — the two top contenders in the Radical Party for the presidential nomination next year — met in Tucumán province yesterday and agreed to stay united through the campaign, in a tacit non-aggression pact between the two.
“Nothing should jeopardize the unity of the party or the (electoral) front,” said Alfonsín after the meeting staged at the house of Radical Senator José Cano in San Miguel de Tucumán.
The two Radical leaders agreed on “sending out signals of unity” and pledged to support the candidates for mayor or governor of either faction who perform best in polls.
Cano — who aims to run for Tucumán governor and hosted yesterday’s talks — became the first candidate to have the support of both Alfonsín and Cobos for his candidacy.
In a press conference held after the meeting with Cano, both Alfonsín and Cobos said they had not discussed the issue of presidential candidacies. “The next step now is to construct a government programme to present to society,” said Alfonsín.
According to press reports, the meeting with the National Committee was scheduled by Radical Party chairman Ernesto Sanz and would also include the head of the Radical caucuses in the Lower House and the Senate, Deputy Oscar Aguad and former party chairman Senator Gerardo Morales.
Both leaders agreed the electoral platform should be defined before the end of the year.
Alfonsín insisted the presidential candidacies “could be decided by consensus,” while Cobos said “the citizens will express themselves in the primaries of August (2011).”
Although the Vice-President insisted the current electoral law establishes “a process of open primaries,” he admitted “that does not rule out the possibility of reaching an agreement” on the candidacies, which has been demanded by other sectors in order to avoid confrontation between the two.
In that sense, Deputy Margarita Stolbizer — head of the GEN Party — said yesterday: “I think it’s excellent that Cobos and Alfonsín meet here in Tucumán, because is something that we have been requesting.”
“Without meddling in the Radical primaries, we think it is very positive for them to meet as a sign of unity,” said Stolbizer.
Meanwhile, both contenders praised “the current favourable international conditions for the country” and agreed on “the need to grant a frame of predictability for international investments.”
Cobos also said that after the meeting, “the stage of reaching agreements with our GEN and the Socialist Party allies to move forward on the construction of a progressive front will come.”
In that sense, Alfonsín urged Civic Coalition leader Elisa Carrió to “reconsider her decision” of breaking ties with the Social and Civic Accord as “nothing has happened to justify that decision.”
The son of late former president Rául Alfonsín also downplayed the rumours of a rally to launch his presidential candidacy at the indoor Luna Park stadium on October 30.
“That’s just a proposal which was made by some friends, which we are currently evaluating, but the important thing is to make progress on the (government) programme,” said Alfonsín.
Cobos and Alfonsín were invited to Tucumán by the Moisés Lebensohn Institute — a Radical branch close to the Vice-President — to participate in a conference at the National University of Tucumán and there was wide speculation about a meeting between the two.
According to press reports, the talks were not confirmed until Cobos called Alfonsín from Catamarca province on Friday, asking him to meet.
