Abstract

MATTINA, Gabriela  and  LOPEZ, María Victoria. Political representation at the local level: Insights on the leaders Mauricio Macri and Luis Juez and the dynamics within their partisan groups. Trab. soc. [online]. 2013, n.21, pp.159-184. ISSN 1514-6871.

In recent decades, contemporary democracies in general and the Argentine democracy in particular, have undergone profound transformations such as the weakening of traditional political identities, electoral fluctuations and the influence of the media in the political dynamics, to name a few. All these changes have had great impact on the linkage between representatives and those represented, which is increasingly characterized by popularity leaders who are supported by the public opinion and establish a direct relationship with citizens. From this perspective, we intend to comparatively inquire about the role of the leaders Luis Juez and Mauricio Macri in building the Partido Nuevo of the province of Cordoba and the party Propuesta Republicana (PRO) in Buenos Aires City, respectively. Both are new political parties that arised in the heat of the previously described transformations and whose emergence has reshaped their local scenes since 2001: while the Partido Nuevo became the third player in a system which was traditionally bipartisan, the PRO has held office since 2007. What strategies did Juez and Macri apply to draw electoral support? How did they antagonize with traditional parties? What networks did they create or resort to with the purpose of founding their own political parties?

Keywords : Leaders; Political parties; Representation; Buenos Aires City; Córdoba.