Members of the country's legislature are elected through proportional representation on party lists.
The October 27,2013 mid-term elections will choose 127 members of the 257-strong Chamber of Deputies and
a third of the Senate's 72 members
Deputies will be elected for four years, and senators for six-year terms
Voting is compulsory for Argentine citizens aged between 18 and 70.
This is the first election where 16- and 17-year-olds can cast their votes, voluntarily.
The mid-term legislative elections are seen as the first step towards presidential polls in 2015 and Sergio Massa is seen as a possible presidential contender in 2015
The key race is expected in the country's largest electoral district, the province of Buenos Aires, which includes the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area of more than 10 million inhabitants. The province accounts for more than a third of the national electorate
The frontrunner there is the Renewal Front, an alliance that includes the centre-right Republican Proposal (PRO). Its list for the Chamber of Deputies is headed by the mayor of Tigre, Sergio Massa.
Sergio Massa was a former ally of Nestor Kirchner, and served as the Cabinet of Ministers chief under President Fernandez in 2008-09. Mr Massa was elected mayor on the Kirchnerist Front for Victory ticket, but left the party in June 2013 to establish the Renewal Front
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's ruling Front for Victory is Sergio Massa's main rival here headed by Martin Insaurralde, Mayor of Lomas de Zamora
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been forced out of electioneering after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot from her brain, believed to be a complication from a head injury she sustained in August 2013
The August 2013 primaries indicated that Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner may struggle to keep control of the National Congress, let alone build up a two-thirds majority.
Her Front for Victory won just 26% of the nationwide vote in the primaries, losing in the all-important Buenos Aires province to Mr Massa's list.
This level of performance is far below the 54% support that propelled Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner into a second term in 2011
Argentine Opposition Makes Gains in Mid-term Polls
With 72% of the votes counted nationwide, the governing Front for Victory won 33% of the congressional votes overall, far short of the 54% Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner carried in her re-election in 2011
The Front for Victory remains the only nationwide political force and still holds more seats in congress than any other bloc
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez's allies took a beating in midterm elections on Sunday, shrinking her party's majority in Congress, ending chances of a constitutional change to allow her a third term and kicking off the contest to succeed her in 2015
"Seven of every 10 votes cast today went against the government. This election was a triumph for the opposition," said local political analyst Rosendo Fraga
The Front for Victory lost 12 of 23 provinces, including major urban centers.
Candidates sponsored by opposition leader Sergio Massa led the House of Deputies' contest by 43 % to 32 % in the key province of Buenos Aires, Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo said, citing partial results
Buenos Aires is home to 40 % of Argentina's voters and most of the country's agricultural output. The loss in this strategic province was expected to shrink the majority that Fernandez's alliance has in Congress to just a few votes
Sergio Massa(Renewal Front party) the mayor of the affluent Buenos Aires town of Tigre, headed his own list of candidates for Congress and is seen as a possible, business-friendly presidential contender in 2015
Sunday's vote also tested the support of other presidential hopefuls. Julio Cobos, a Radical Party member from Mendoza, won his race, as did Hermes Binner, a socialist from Santa Fe.
Vowing to fight crime, combat inflation and improve farm profits, Massa appears well positioned to run for president.
But Argentine history shows midterm victors are rarely able to sustain momentum and clinch the nomination.
A dark horse could appear within the next two years, as was the case with former President Carlos Menem, who burst onto the scene in 1989, and Nestor Kirchner in 2003.
No comments:
Post a Comment