Argentine socialist presidential candidate: 'We want a hard left that fights with workers'
Argentine socialist presidential candidate: 'We want a hard left that fights with workers'
Monday, September 21, 2015
By Federico Fuentes & Nicolas Del Cano
Initiated just over four years ago, the Left and Workers Front (FIT) in Argentina has scored some breakthroughs, quickly earning its place on the national political scene.
The FIT was formed as an alliance of three far left parties: the Socialist Workers’ Party (PTS), Workers Party (PO) and Socialist Left (IS). It was largely formed to overcome electoral restrictions requiring parties to win more than 1.5% of the vote in Open, Simultaneous and Obligatory Primaries (PASO) in order to stand in elections.
In a context where the far left has traditionally performed poorly in presidential elections, the FIT were relatively successful in the 2011 PASO, FIT pre-candidate Jorge Altamira won more than half a million votes (2.46%).
In the PASO held this July, more than 750,000 people voted for one of the two FIT presidential pre-candidates. Unable to come up with a united slate, the FIT used the primaries to let voters decide their presidential candidate for the October 25 general elections.
More:
https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/60136