For years, Sergio Massa's ears must have burned: the word “traitor” was the only one they pronounced in Kirchnerism when they remembered him. But that is history, after the surprising victory he achieved this Sunday, the “traitor” became the savior of all Peronism. And he now has a good part of the ballot to be the next president.

Massa, 51, was almost everything one could be in politics, both in positions and ideology.. As a young man he embraced the liberal faith as a member of the Democratic Center Union, as a young adult he was a bishop of Néstor and Cristina Kirchner, to become in 2013 the brake on the president's ambitions for political eternity.. Ten years later it became Cristina's resigned bet and an unexpected winner of this Sunday's presidential elections.

It is true that Massa still has to win the second round, also that his was the worst presidential election in the history of Peronism. But the ability of the former president of the Chamber of Deputies is undeniable. It was he who inflated Milei's candidacy behind the scenes, giving him political support and electoral oversight.. It was believed that the experiment had gotten out of hand, but the truth is that Milei helped Massa to break Together for Change, which until a couple of months ago he believed he had won the election..

Handball goalkeeper in his youth, Massa grew up knowing how to deflect the multiple attacks that any politician suffers on the front line. First as mayor of Tigre, then as head of the pension system, head of the Cabinet of Ministers and third authority of the State since the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies.

“Massa would make a mistake if he believed that the votes he received were his.”. Most of them are out of fear,” said analyst Alejandro Catterberg.. The fear, the fear of Milei, will undoubtedly be the axis of the campaign that begins ahead of the second round on November 19.

If one adjective is applicable to Massa, it is sinuous.. When he assumed the Ministry of Economy in August 2022 -Massa is a lawyer-, the question was whether he was not betting on an impossible mission. What profit could assuming control of precisely that which Argentina has not been able to control for decades, the economy, bring?

Amazingly, it paid off. Massa advanced the government structure to become de facto president, while Alberto Fernández was diluted personally and politically.. And the astonishment was even greater when it was observed that all the economic numbers worsened with Massa as minister. Inflation doubled to almost 140 percent annually and the Central Bank's reserves are negative by 8 billion dollars.

But Massa and his campaign team achieved the miracle of turning him into two people in one, but two antithetical people.. There was Economy Minister Massa who spent money that does not exist and for whom inflation was getting out of hand. And there was the candidate Massa who promised to solve everything that doesn't work, among other things, Massa's inflation.

The ministry, however, gave him centrality and the appearance of a statesman.. He insisted again and again that he accepted “a hot iron” when he could have avoided the tough challenge of taking on the economy and intervened in multiple issues unrelated to his ministry.. The strategy paid off.

The winner of the first round is probably the best friend that the government and the political establishment of the United States have.. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) cannot say the same, which once released a payment of 7.5 billion dollars for Argentina, saw how Massa forgot all the commitments made, making the Income Tax of the companies almost non-existent. Individuals (Income Tax, in Argentina) and distributed money by turning the machines at the Mint red hot. It was an essential part of his campaign towards the Casa Rosada.

Massa is not alone, the “pack” includes Malena Galmarini, his wife, president of the state drinking water company and frustrated candidate for mayor of Tigre. Those who know them assure that the Massas' ambition is even higher than that of Néstor and Cristina Kirchner. And that, you know, is saying a lot.