Ruling party candidate Juan Pablo Valdés coasted to victory in Sunday’s gubernatorial election in Corrientes Province, easily seeing off his rivals with a lead of almost 30 points.
Valdés, the brother of outgoing governor and newly elected provincial senator Gustavo Valdés, took 51.89 percent of the vote.
Trailing in second was Peronist candidate Martín ‘Tincho’ Ascúa (Limpiar Corrientes, linked to Kirchnerism), who received 19.97 percent and former three-term governor Ricardo Colombi (UCR) with 16.69 percent.
President Javier Milei’s La Libertad Avanza finished a disappointing fourth, with just 9.51 percent of votes backing its candidate Lisandro Almirón.
Valdés, of the Vamos Corrientes front, secured the governorship with his tally. Peronism had hoped to push the Unión Cívica Radical to a run-off but failed to make the grade.
In comments from his party headquarters, Valdés noted the region had “decided on a new governor in the first round” and called for everyone to “work together for the future.”
"Many people say to me, 'You're the brother of...'. And I want to tell them that of course I am Gustavo's brother; I say this with pride, I do not deny my roots, as a good correntino. Today I am ready to be the next governor of the province," said the former mayor of Ituzaingó.
“We are closing this chapter to begin working together for the future,” said the governor-elect.
The victory by Vamos Corrientes marks the first win for the centrist Provincias Unidas alliance, which is led by former Córdoba governor Juan Schiaretti, and also includes the governors of Corrientes (Gustavo Valdés), Córdoba (Martín Llaryora), Chubut (Ignacio Torres), Santa Fe (Maximiliano Pullaro), Jujuy (Carlos Sadir), and Santa Cruz (Claudio Vidal).
‘Goodbye to extremes’
Meanwhile, outgoing governor Gustavo Valdés called for “dialogue” and praised the centrist Provincias Unidas front for supporting federalism.
He is expected to formally join Provincias Unidas in the coming days after breaking off talks with La Libertad Avanza and choosing not to align with them ahead of Sunday’s election – a move which helped preserve the identity of Vamos Corrientes and prevent a win for the Milei government.
Noting that it had been “one of the dirtiest campaigns in recent times,” Gustavo Valdés said that “Corrientes residents know how to stand firm and here we are once again.”
“Corrientes shows that the centre is the way forward. Goodbye to extremes,” posted the Provincias Unidas space on its social media accounts.
The Valdés brothers were congratulated by governors from the alliance, who praised the “successful governance model” and its defence of the “country’s interior.”
“The people of Corrientes reaffirmed a successful governance model promoting development and based on transparency and austerity,” said Chubut Province Governor Ignacio Torres.
“There is a federal outcry growing louder,” noted Córdoba Province Governor Martín Llaryora.
Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos played down the ruling party’s defeat.
“Corrientes was an expected result for us – we’re a new party and we didn’t have a shot,” he said.
“We clearly weren’t expecting a big result. These were provincial races and we don’t have competitive strength there – the situation will be very different at the national level,” said Francos, referring to the October national midterm elections.
– TIMES/NA
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