Piquetero Party

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Partido Piquetero
PresidentJuan Marino
Founded2016
HeadquartersBuenos Aires, Argentina
IdeologyTrotskyism
Socialism
Political positionLeft
National affiliationUnion for the Fatherland
Chamber of Deputies
1 / 257
(as part of Unión por la Patria)

The Piquetero Party is a Trotskyist political party of Argentina founded in 2016. Currently, it is one of the parties that make up Unión por la Patria.[1][2][3]

History

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The term piquetero is a term from Argentine Spanish that refers to protesters who block streets to demonstrate for a particular issue. The concept of a piquetero has existed since at least the mid-1990s.

Foundation

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The Piquetero Party was established in 2016 by Juan Marino, who had been a member of the Workers' Party.[1] After his expulsion from the Workers' Party in 2009, he founded the Revolutionary Piquetera Tendency (TPR) in 2010. The TPR became the basis for the creation of the Piquetero Party in 2016.[4]

Development

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Since its creation, the Piquetero Party has actively participated in social mobilizations[5][6] and has been part of various electoral coalitions. In 2017, it was part of the Popular Meeting for Land, Roof and Work. [7]

In 2019, the party joined the Frente de Todos, and although it did not win seats in that election, its leader Juan Marino assumed a position in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies in 2022, replacing Sergio Massa.[8][9]

Ideology

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The Piquetero Party describes itself as an advocate of social inclusion and economic justice, with proposals aimed at changes in existing economic structures. A key proposal is the implementation of a universal basic wage to address immediate economic inequalities. [10][11][12] However, his ideology also raises a profound criticism of the current economic system, based on a Marxist analysis of the dynamics of modern capitalism.

According to the document "The Collapse of Capital", the party considers that the current historical phase is dominated by imperialist monopolies, which have "eradicated free markets, the core of traditional capitalism." This analysis highlights the antagonism between "parasitic monopolies and financial capitalism versus industrial production and merchant capitalism." This contradiction fuels important class struggles and international conflicts.[13]

The Piquetero Party maintains that the fight against fascism is intrinsically linked to the fight against monopolies, arguing that the expropriation of these is a necessity to advance towards social and economic justice. This perspective seeks to guide the working class towards a planned or communist economy, positioning this expropriation as a crucial task.[13]

International Position

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Beyond the national sphere, the Piquetero Party has positioned itself in Latin American debates. In 2018, following the electoral victory of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, it issued a communiqué describing the result as the triumph of “fascism” and called for the formation of a continental anti-fascist front. The party highlighted that “the only path against Bolsonaro is the anti-fascist front,” stressing unity among workers, students, and social movements across the region.[14]

The Piquetero Party expressed solidarity with Brazilian organizations such as the Partido da Causa Operária (PCO), which it described as a “sister party” in the fight against fascism. It also supported the creation of self-defense committees within mass organizations as a way to resist authoritarian advances. While maintaining criticism of moderate currents like Lula da Silva and Fernando Haddad, the party nonetheless called to vote for the Workers’ Party candidate in the 2018 Brazilian elections as part of a united front against Bolsonaro.[14]

Additionally, Juan Marino and the party signed a national Argentine solidarity committee demanding fair electoral conditions for Lula in Brazil, rejecting what they considered a judicialized ousting of democratic rights.[15]

In July 2025, the Piquetero Party organized a demonstration in front of the U.S. Embassy in Argentina to reject the war against Iran. At the event, Juan Marino gave a speech (transcribed by the party itself) in which he expressed solidarity with international protests and questioned U.S. military intervention.[16]

Electoral History

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In 2017, the Piquetero Party participated in the legislative elections as part of the Popular Encounter for Land, Roof and Work coalition.[17] However, it failed to obtain representation.[7][18][19]

In 2019, the party joined the Frente de Todos and Juan Marino was included in the list of candidates, although he was not initially elected. Marino assumed a seat in the Chamber of Deputies in 2022 after the resignation of Sergio Massa.[8][20][9]

In 2023, the Piquetero Party was part of the Union for the Homeland coalition and Juan Marino managed to obtain a seat in the Chamber of Deputies, occupying the 15th place on the list.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The story of Juan Marino, the social leader who replaces Sergio Massa in Deputies". PAGINA12. 2022-07-28. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  2. ^ "The social movements show up with Massa in Ferro and warn Grabois: "We want to win"". La Política Online. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Who is Juan Marino, the social leader who aroused boos in the Chamber of Deputies". Todo Noticias. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  4. ^ Clarín (July 31, 2022). "Quién es Juan Marino, el funcionario y piquetero que ocupará la banca de diputado de Sergio Massa".
  5. ^ "Se armó la Unidad Piquetera y prometen lío en noviembre y diciembre"". 2022-08-02. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "El movimiento piquetero unificado convoca a una jornada de protesta nacional contra el hambre y el ajuste". Rebelión.
  7. ^ a b "Juan Marino: "We have to come back better and that is without the Justicialist Party"". Realpolitik.
  8. ^ a b "The incredible story of Juan Marino, the activist who was expelled from the Workers' Party and will replace Sergio Massa in the Chamber of Deputies". Diario con Vos. August 1, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Parlamentario (August 2, 2022). "El líder del Partido Piquetero ya es diputado nacional".
  10. ^ "Who is Juan Marino, the piquetero deputy who swore "for the universal basic salary"". 2022-08-02. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  11. ^ "Universal Basic Salary: Now or never!, by Juan Marino". July 19, 2022.
  12. ^ Ámbito Financiero (July 22, 2022). "Grabois apuntó contra el Gobierno y reclamó por el Salario Básico Universal".
  13. ^ a b Stiglitz, Lionel (2019). El colapso del capital. Fundación CICCUS. ISBN 978-987-693-786-3.
  14. ^ a b "Frente Antifascista: el único camino contra Bolsonaro" (PDF). Partido Piquetero. November 1, 2018.
  15. ^ "Se constituyó el Comité Argentino de Solidaridad con Lula". Fetia.org.ar.
  16. ^ "NO TO THE IMPERIALIST WAR AGAINST IRAN". elpiqueteroorg.wordpress.com/.
  17. ^ "Juan Marino, leader picketer: "Macrism is developing an anti-industrial genocide"". Realpolitik.
  18. ^ "Elecciones 2017: Se conformaron diez alianzas en la Provincia de Buenos Aires". Ciudad Nueva. 15 June 2017.
  19. ^ "PASO 2017 Quiénes son los candidatos que se quedaron afuera de las elecciones". Todo Noticias. 14 August 2017.
  20. ^ "A piquetero leader will occupy the seat left by Sergio Massa in the Chamber of Deputies". Infobae. August 1, 2022.
  21. ^ "Where does the piquetero vote go?". Página/12. July 3, 2023.
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