The candidates and the Day of the Friend: who are the chosen ones of Massa, Rodríguez Larreta, Bullrich and Milei

Behind each candidate lies a story, a past, the affections that build the emotional universe of each one of them. The allies, the unconditional. The friends. Those who are always close and, in some cases, resolve even the most sensitive issues. Sergio Massa, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, Patricia Bullrich and Javier Milei have a chosen one that stands out from the rest. A curiosity: with one exception, they all work together with them.

Also read: Elections 2023: dates, candidates, polls, results and all the details minute by minute

President of Tigre and his private advisor: Ezequiel Melaraña, Sergio Massa’s friend

As every year, Ezequiel Melaraña was in the first row of greetings from Sergio Massa on this Friendship Day. They have known each other since school: both studied at the Instituto Agustiniano de San Andrés. “Kelo”, as his friends and Massa himself call him, is the president of the Tigre club and the private secretary of the Minister of Economy and candidate for President of the Union for the Homeland.

“He is his childhood friend and his most trusted person,” summarized from the Palacio de Hacienda about Melaraña. Over time, Massa became a fanatical fan of the Victoria club, where his brother-in-law, Martín Galmarini, is one of the greatest idols. The friendship between the minister and Melaraña would lead Tigre Club to meet its golden years.

Massa and Melaraña celebrate together the return of Tigre to the First Division, in 2021. (Photo: Twitter)

In 2002, when he was already the head of ANSES, Massa took over as vice president of the institution and approached important sponsors. Thanks to that injection of money, he was able to put together a competitive team that began to climb the Promotion categories and settled in the First Division. At that time, Melaraña was a member of the board of directors.

In mid-2008, when he assumed the Chief of Cabinet of Ministers of the first government of Cristina Kirchner, Massa – a year earlier he had been elected mayor of the municipality of Tigre – took Melaraña as an advisor. Although in different roles, “Kelo” continues to be his lieutenant to this day: he is in charge of the Unit for the Strategic Articulation of Economic and Productive Areas of the Ministry of Economy.

Massa in his childhood, when he attended the Augustinian Institute. There he forged his friendship with Melaraña. (Photo: Sergio Massa press)

Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and the memory of a friend who is no longer here

In 2017, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta recounted that a close friend of his – who had previously had a fleeting relationship with his ex-wife, Bárbara Diez – had died in an accident.

“Horacio does not have a best friend, but several very good friends,” they tell TN from the environment of the presidential candidate of Together for Change. “He always remembers Alex, a lifelong friend, who is no longer here.”

Also read: Larreta and Bullrich take note of the error of the polls in Santa Fe and focus their strategies for the STEP

Larreta inherited his passion for politics and soccer from his father, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta Leloir, who was a Foreign Ministry official during the presidency of Arturo Frondizi. The ball was also the bridge that allowed him to build his friendship with Alex.

Larreta and Alex met playing soccer on the sidewalk of the house of the presidential candidate. (Photo: Horacio Rodríguez Larreta press)

“They met kicking on the sidewalk of Horacio’s house,” they add close to the head of government. Both played together in a neighborhood team (the red shirt contrasts with Racing, a club that Larreta embraced since he was a child) and the friendship spanned adolescence and early adulthood. “He died in a gas leak. Those things that are unbelievable bad milk ”, revealed the mayor of Buenos Aires years ago.

One detail: although the current context and political adversity force both to deny it, the friendship between Massa and Larreta is public and longstanding. “We have been friends for more than 30 years. We got along when we didn’t have charges and we got along well now. That is not going to change”, said the minister in an interview with News in 2021. “I have had a relationship for years, but political life and his decisions separated us”, acknowledged the highest authority of CABA some time ago.

Larreta with Alex, in another image from his intimate album. (Photo: Horacio Rodríguez Larreta press)

Juan Pablo Arenaza, the unconditional Patricia Bullrich

Patricia Bullrich also prefers to have a friend watching her back. Her chosen one is Juan Pablo Arenaza, her campaign manager. “He has always been with me for 22 years,” the candidate for Together for Change tells TN.

Arenaza is 50 years old, is a political scientist and security expert, the ministry that Bullrich was in charge of during the presidency of Mauricio Macri. In his role as a Buenos Aires legislator – a position he currently holds – he was in charge of the Security Commission (2016-2017) when the law that created the City Police was voted.

Read also: In the PRO they evaluate the possibility that Larreta and Bullrich star in another photo to lower the tension

“He started working with me at a very young age. I am friends with him and his family ”, sums up the head of the PRO.

Bullrich with Juan Pablo Arenaza, his best friend and campaign manager. (Photo: Patricia Bullrich press)

“I’ve known him for 22 years,” said the JxC candidate. (Photo: Patricia Bullrich press)

Lilia Lemoine, Javier Milei’s chosen one

Javier Milei chooses a woman as his best side. This is Lilia Lemoine, who became the shadow of the libertarian candidate since he landed in the political arena.

She is the current vice president of the Libertarian Party and is a candidate for national deputy for La Libertad Avanza. She is 43 years old and has a professional past linked to systems in companies such as Fibertel, Hewlett Packard and IBM. She then ventured into the art scene and became a special effects specialist.

Milei and Lilia Lemoine, a friendship that has grown in recent years. (Photo: Javier Milei press)

Lilia Lemoine is a pre-candidate for national deputy for La Libertad Avanza. (Photo: Javier Milei press)

Lemoine has a versatile profile. On Instagram – where she has 118,000 followers – she defines herself as “Influencer, IT Girl, libertarian activist and cosplayer”. On Facebook she calls herself “Lady Lemon Cosplay”. However, she clarifies that none of these activities allow her to earn a living.

“They also often refer to me as Javier’s makeup artist and I feel like they minimize me. The scope of my activity, both with him and within the space, are much greater”, she mentions, and shares an anecdote that unites her with Milei and perhaps helps to understand where the nickname of “make-up artist” that she reluctantly accepts comes from. .

The cosplay universe is one of the passions of Milei’s best friend. (Photo: Facebook/LadyLemonCosplay)

Read also: Milei’s final stretch prior to the PASO: motorhome tours and polarization with Bullrich and Massa

“I go with him on all the television shows. I make him up because I am the one who knows how best to do it among those who are close to him, ”she says. And she deepens: “Once, Javier’s hairdresser sent a baton and I began to cut his hair.”

The friendship between Milei and Lemoine began to grow five years ago. “We support each other at key moments, where other people can’t or don’t know how to be,” she says. And she evokes another anecdote: “One of the things that I always remember was when I was a candidate for legislator in the space of (José Luis) Espert, and Javier prepared me to debate with Ofelia Fernández.”