If indefinite re-elections do not take place, more than half of the Buenos Aires mayors would not be able to run in 2027.

Buenos Aires politics is a mess that everyone hums about. The lack of leadership dominates the legislative spaces with a semi-paralyzed parliamentary agenda . Partisan internalism complicates the coexistence of legislators, who seem stuck in a swamp of mistrust and fragmentation that fuels a dispersion rarely seen.

In this context, no one knows exactly which projects might advance until they garner the necessary support for approval. Uncertainty surrounding any legislative initiative is usually absolute. Governor Axel Kicillof failed to even secure approval of the 2025 budget, and his confrontation with La Cámpora continues to escalate. In the middle are the deputies and senators who answer to Sergio Massa, who had to dust off the "middle avenue" to navigate the confrontation between his political allies.

Most mayors are fed up with the chaos . They feel it's not their fight. Their demands, at least the most urgent ones, are on another track. Management and residents' demands are limiting them. Insecurity is their main concern. They need money and a solid, comprehensive policy from the provincial executive branch.

There are also more personal reasons . No mayor intends to leave office because a law requires it. It was the one approved by former Governor María Eugenia Vidal with the support of Massa himself. The law allows for only one reelection, both for mayors and for provincial legislators, councilors, and school counselors.

Last Wednesday , a first step was taken to repeal or modify that law . The General Legislation Committee of the Buenos Aires Senate advanced an initiative that allows indefinite reelection for legislators, councilors, and school counselors . The bill, presented by Peronist Luis Vivona of Malvinas Argentinas, excludes mayors and could be discussed this week. It is expected to have the support of several Radical senators, members of the PRO (Progressive Party of Buenos Aires), and the Libertarian Blue Party.

If the law is not amended, the forced renewal of municipal leadership will be extraordinary . A total of 82 mayors are barred from seeking reelection in 2027. This represents more than 60% of the total of 135 mayors in Buenos Aires . Of that total, 52 belong to the Union for the Fatherland (UP), 8 to the PRO, 17 to the Radical Civic Union (UCR), 1 to the La Libertad Avanza (LLA), and 4 are local residents.

In Greater Buenos Aires, the figure is similar. The law affects 14 mayors out of a total of 24. Among them are several mayors who have wielded near-absolute power for years, winning overwhelmingly in reelection. Among them are Mario Ishii (José C. Paz), Fernando Gray (Esteban Echeverría), and Mario Secco (Ensenada).

Also appearing are Juan Andreotti (San Fernando), Mariano Cascallares (Almirante Brown), Jorge Ferraresi (Avellaneda), Mayra Mendoza (Quilmes), Ariel Sujarchuk (Escobar), Julio Zamora (Tigre), Federico Achaval (Pilar), Leonardo Nardini (Malvinas), Andrés Watson (Florencio Varela) and Mariel Fernández (Moreno).

Will mayors be able to join the bill that benefits only legislators and councilors ? The various blocs acknowledge to Clarín that the current climate is not conducive to discussing the issue of municipal leaders, although the approval of the empowerment of legislators and councilors would set a favorable precedent for moving forward with the mayors.

The Union for the Homeland has 21 of the 46 senators in the chamber. The PRO (Producer of the Nation) has 9, the UCR-Cambio Federal has 8, the Libertad Avanza (Freedom Advances) has 4, the Libertarian Blues have 3, and Joaquín de La Torre's unified coalition has 10.