Buenos Aires, Nov 14 (teleSUR-RHC) The economic policies of Argentine Let’s Change opposition alliance will drive up food and medicine prices with the same tactics that failed in the country once before, presidential candidate Daniel Scioli warned, as he prepared to debate rival Mauricio Macri.

The candidate for Front for Victory, the socialist party of current President Cristina Fernandez, Scioli cautioned Argentines to watch Sunday’s one-and-a-half-hour televised debate, bearing in mind his neoliberal opponent’s financial ideas were doomed for failure.

“The devaluation that they propose, with a dollar to 15, always brings raises in prices and that now we already see it with bread and medicines,” he said on Friday, before sending a direct message to voters.

“Housewives: look at how bread and medicines are getting more expensive due to the declarations of the advisors of Macri, that show that in reality they don’t want to change, but to return to the past with policies of adjustment and devaluation that already failed in Argentina,” he said.

Ahead of the Nov. 22 run-off, Sunday’s debate is the first time the two will spar as presidential candidates leading many commentators to label the event “historic.”

Both have been locked away rehearsing arguments and counterattacks ahead of the debate, which could swing the results of forthcoming second round of elections. 

Government-aligned political opposition figures have slammed Macri’s plans for delivering major bonuses to big business in the form of land, infrastructure, and future profits without addressing critical issues faced by people in Buenos Aires, such as housing crisis.

In the presidential race, Macri presents himself as an alternative to President Cristina Fernandez and her Peronist political movement. Backed by big business and private media, Macri promotes neoliberal policies and has promised to introduce free market reforms to Argentina’s economy.

Critics say Macri’s policies favor the wealthy and big business at the expense of sidelining problems of systemic inequality.

Macri achieved a surprise surge in support in the Oct. 21 first-round elections that polls beforehand predicted Front for Victory coalition candidate Scioli would win. The tight race between the two frontrunners forced a runoff election.