The other election: A PJ victory could define the presidential candidate despite the rejection of Cristina and Máximo Kirchner.

For this Sunday's elections, it seems that Cristina Kirchner has escaped Javier Milei's prophecy of putting the final nail in the coffin of Kirchnerism. The former president is believed to be convinced that Axel Kicillof, whom she once designated as her loyal heir, would want to put that final nail in the coffin.

Cristina's string of blunders as a great statesman include Julio Cobos, Amado Boudou, Daniel Scioli, and Alberto Fernández. But perhaps the link that infuriates her the most is Kicillof. Her other political heir, her son Máximo, became the enforcer of the Kirchnerist resistance and revenge, not so much against Milei, but rather against the Governor of Buenos Aires.

"The only time Máximo got involved in the campaign was to trash Axel. I'm surprised he can't control himself and ends up looking like a grown-up kid still playing barricade," says a high-ranking Peronist leader who remains aligned with Cristina.

"I'd like to know why the Governor is investing so much money in La Plata and not in Quilmes," the leader of La Cámpora retorted, amid his familiar ironic grimaces. "Axel and us, all together, in La Plata to await the results. La Cámpora in Buenos Aires. Passion to break through," another renowned Peronist leader wrote to Clarín. "The scorpion can't stop stinging, even if it's drowning. That's how it goes for them..." he concluded.

In the Partido Popular (PJ), everyone reads it more or less like this. If Fuerza Patria defeats the Libertarians by a significant margin this Sunday, which would be more than three points, Axel Kicillof will finally be able to wear the PJ presidential candidate's name. No one will be able to question him, not even the former President, much less the Campos regiment. If he does poorly, he'll be in a very bad position in 2027.

Cristina and Máximo condemned Kicillof's audacity in splitting the elections. They made it felt with all kinds of snubs and tripping them up in the provincial legislature. The Kirchners, like almost all those who live for and by power, hate those who are out of line. Whistling softly and without overacting, the Governor stood up to them perhaps like no other. And he managed to hurt them like no other.

From her confinement, Cristina only smiles for photos or when, very occasionally, she steps out onto the balcony because a group of activists shows her some affection. The last image was with Indio Solari, an event organized by Máximo himself. Her last post on social media was to, in a way, remind the country that corruption is not only a dirty trick on her administration but is also tarnishing the Libertarians. Regarding this Sunday's election, she only dedicated the last line to it, urging people to go vote.

General consensus: the political wind in the Province of Buenos Aires is blowing in another direction. A month ago, no one doubted that La Libertad Avanza would win the election, relegating only the Third Section. Today, the feeling is that in the total vote in the province, the Partido Popular (PJ) could win. It seems that only the difference is being discussed. "The Third Section will decide everything. We see a victory for Fuerza Patria that could exceed 10 points. Previously, Juntos por el Cambio managed to compensate with support from the province's interior, but in the Fourth Section and other sections, the provincial opposition is divided. There are more than 20 Radical and neighborhood mayors playing with Julio Zamora in Somos and other forums," notes a longtime resident of the Conurbano.

Everything seems to have turned around. Kicillof split the vote to avoid the nationalization of the October election. Today, Milei is forced to explain the alleged misdeeds of his officials. The initiative against the caste has lost steam, beyond the rhetoric. Thus, the nationalization of an extraordinary split election may end up favoring Kicillof.

"Does anyone remember the insecurity? The lack of sewage, water, and families living in houses with dirt floors? The voting is separated to talk about the problems of the people of Buenos Aires, and all they talk about is the recordings and Fat Dan's nonsense," one of the main Libertarian organizers laments to this newspaper.