Peronism changed the location of Congress amid internal tension: where it will be held

Just days before its Provincial Congress, the Justicialist Party of Mendoza decided to change the venue. The meeting was originally scheduled to take place this Saturday in San Rafael , but amid internal tensions, it was moved to the facilities of the Union of Civilian Personnel of the Nation (UPCN), located on Montecaseros Street in Ciudad del Estado .

One of the central points of the debate will be the amendment to the charter, specifically Article 33, Section F, which regulates the election of candidates for national and provincial offices. In addition, the power of the Provincial Council's Executive Board to form temporary alliances with other political forces will be discussed.

It's worth remembering that in early May, the PJ Provincial Council had established that the Congress would be held in San Rafael . The decision was promoted by the party's president, Emir Félix, and approved by 25 of the 28 members of the body, while La Cámpora voted against it.

Since then, there has been a back-and-forth between Félix and National Senator Anabel Fernández Sagasti . As a "political gesture" to ease tensions, meetings were held between the two sides throughout the week with the aim of smoothing over differences and arriving at Congress "as calmly as possible."

In recent days, the two predominant sectors of the Mendoza PJ have intensified their activity, which has generated clashes between their leaders. The focus of criticism was the event held by the mayors' group in San Martín, where Jorge Giménez's return to the party was "made official."

In this regard, the former mayor of San Rafael declared on Radio Aconcagua that they are "rebuilding" a Peronism with a Mendoza identity, since, according to him, the party "has lost its connection with the reality and expectations of the people of Mendoza, and that is what we want to recover."

Jorge Gimenez.jpeg

Félix highlighted the return of leader Jorge Giménez to the PJ (Party of the People's Party), after his time with La Unión Mendocina in 2023. However, the return of the former mayor of San Martín was not well received by La Cámpora, which expressed its displeasure.

"Like him, many others who not only joined other political parties but also retired from political activity, we continue to urge them to join the party, because we are rebuilding our strength," Félix said.

Last weekend, National Senator Anabel Fernández Sagasti met with more than 120 leaders from across the province . During the meeting, the La Cámpora leader in Mendoza acknowledged that the PJ "has been weakened" by the lack of "sincere dialogue" between the various internal groups.

A document entitled "Nobody is Saved Alone" was drafted there, in which observations were made about the electoral scenario and specific messages were addressed "to the comrades of Peronism," particularly to those who joined La Unión Mendocina in the last elections.

"We want those who left in the last elections to return as candidates in spaces that currently support Milei. But not as if nothing had happened," warns Kirchnerists.

And they add, with a series of conditions: "Let them return if they recognize their mistake and are willing to shoulder a genuine reconstruction. Let them return with the humility to join the ranks of those who stayed to fight."

Anabel Fernández Sagasti

Press Anabel Fernández Sagasti

Provincial representative Valentina Morán also publicly questioned Jorge Giménez's return to the PJ. In a letter posted on her social media, the legislator took aim at the mayors' group.

"They brought Jorge Omar Giménez, former mayor of San Martín, onto the stage. In the last election, he decided to join forces with Omar De Marchi, a long-time leader of the Mendoza Macri movement and current political partner in Milei's administration," he said.

For Morán, the reinstatement of the leader from the eastern part of the province is "a gesture that, far from organizing Peronism, confuses, demoralizes, and discredits the membership."

And he concluded: "Was it necessary? No. It was a political decision. And as such, it reveals the boundless pragmatism of some sectors of the Mendoza PJ, who continue to view politics as merely the administration of positions and not as a collective project."