A Night of Solidarity Ends in a Police Station
Political tensions in the Argentine province of Tucumán exploded early on Friday, August 21, 2026, when Gastón García Zavalía, a judicial employee and dissident member of the local La Libertad Avanza (LLA) party, filed a police complaint against Lisandro Catalán, the party's provincial president and a former Interior Minister under President Javier Milei. The incident occurred around 12:45 AM at the Las Cañas hall in Yerba Buena, a city near the provincial capital, during the annual dinner of the Tucumán Food Bank—a charity event attended by about 600 people, featuring auctions of Messi jerseys and golf clubs from Argentine golfer Andrés 'Pigu' Romero.
According to the complaint filed at the Yerba Buena police station, Catalán allegedly approached García Zavalía and said, “you were going to see what would happen to you.” When the accuser asked for an explanation, Gerardo Huesen, also named in the report, allegedly added, “You work in the Judiciary, but you're nobody.” García Zavalía, 57, said he felt “concern and fear” but that there was no physical aggression.
Catalán's Response: 'An Operation of Old Politics'
LLA Tucumán issued a statement calling the accusation “absolutely false” and claimed it was García Zavalía who approached Catalán to confront him “for reasons we don't know.” The party linked the complaint to internal disputes, recalling a previous attack on deputy Federico Pelli (who had his nose broken) and a separate complaint against deputy Soledad Molinuevo.
Catalán, in a press conference, labeled his accusers as “henchmen” and “servile” to the ruling party, calling the whole affair an “operation of old politics.” Molinuevo also rejected the accusation, saying “false complaints are not a political tool.” Huesen added they would not be intimidated by “pressure, operations, or fabricated complaints.”
The Second Scandal: Falsified Residency
But the turmoil didn't stop there. On August 20, Mauricio Argiró, a councilman from Yerba Buena and ally of deputy Mariano Campero, filed a complaint with the Federal Electoral Prosecutor's Office against Catalán and Pelli for falsifying their declared addresses for electoral purposes.
According to the complaint, Catalán listed a property on Italia Street in San Miguel de Tucumán (the provincial capital) as his residence—a place that belongs to a third party and allegedly serves as the party's headquarters—while he actually lives in the Las Acacias gated community in Bella Vista, Buenos Aires Province. Pelli, meanwhile, reportedly changed his address twice on July 3 and July 6, 2026, both in Yerba Buena, the last one at a commercial gallery.
In an interview with the program El Avispero, Catalán broke down in tears while defending himself: “I've been suffering insults of all kinds for a long time, and every week when I come to Tucumán and have to leave my family... I'm here because I want to, because I feel the responsibility to do it.” With those words, he admitted he doesn't live with his family in Tucumán, though he insisted he meets the requirements to be a candidate.
Following the scandal, Catalán had to postpone the launch of his government plan, originally scheduled for Thursday, and rescheduled it for Friday, August 28, with an event at a hotel in the capital where a “big-name” figure is expected to appear.
The Libertarian Internal Battle: Catalán vs. Campero
At the heart of the conflict is the race for governor of Tucumán in the May 9, 2027 provincial elections. Mariano Campero, a former Radical (UCR) member who joined LLA and is nicknamed the “radical with a wig,” wants to be the opposition candidate. He plans to use his own party label, Cambia Tucumán, because he says he's not welcome in the violet party. His inner circle confirmed they studied Catalán and Pelli's cases before pushing the complaint.
Catalán's supporters, however, say “Campero's move to get into the ring is a low blow and a point of no return” and that “the complaint has no basis.” They also leaked a supposed offer to Campero to keep Yerba Buena and retain his provincial legislators, but the deputy allegedly rejected it.
The dispute unfolds amid fragmentation within Peronism: Governor Osvaldo Jaldo will seek re-election with his deputy Miguel Acevedo, while Senator Juan Manzur and Deputy Pablo Yedlin are preparing a dissident candidacy. The opposition, led by Campero, also plans to legally challenge Jaldo's candidacy on constitutional grounds.
A Four-Way Split Election Scene
With Catalán and Campero fighting for the non-Peronist vote, and Peronism divided between Jaldo and Manzur, the Tucumán political board for 2027 looks fragmented into at least four competitive offers. Uncertainty is growing, and the cross-complaints mark the start of what promises to be a rough campaign.
Meanwhile, the justice system must determine whether the threats occurred and whether the addresses were falsified. The federal prosecutor's office already has Argiró's complaint, which includes requests for investigations through RENAPER (the national registry of persons). The libertarian internal war, far from calming down, threatens to reshape the province's political alliances.
Sources: Contexto Tucumán, La Nación, Letra P, La Política Online