Overview

• José Luis Espert quit La Libertad Avanza’s Buenos Aires ticket after reports cited U.S. court and bank records tying him to businessman Federico “Fred” Machado, including an alleged USD 200,000 transfer.
• Most state-printed Boleta Única de Papel ballots were already produced and partly distributed, and judicial estimates put a full reprint for the province at roughly ARS 14–15 billion.
• Unless Judge Alejo Ramos Padilla orders new printing, the existing ballots will be used with Espert’s image and name, with tight deadlines before the Oct. 26 vote limiting what can be changed.
• Peronist forces, including Fuerza Patria and PJ figures, plan filings to block any reprint or shift political responsibility for the cost, while government sources argue there could be time to replace at least undelivered batches.
• If the resignation is formalized, Diego Santilli is positioned to move up under replacement rules, though gender-parity provisions could complicate who legally heads the list and would require a new design approved in a joint audiencia.