With 92% of the tables counted in the legislative elections in Argentina, the political coalition of President Javier MileiLa Libertad Avanza, won with 40.84% in the category of deputies, compared to 24.50% of the Peronist Fuerza Patria front (24.50%).
As is customary every two years in Argentina, almost half of the Chamber of Deputies (127) and a third of the Senate (24) were renewed. In total, the ruling party reached a majority in 16 provinces: Tierra del Fuego, Chubut, Río Negro, Neuquén, Province of Buenos Aires, City of Buenos Aires, Mendoza, San Luis, Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Misiones, Chaco, Salta, Jujuy and La Rioja.
The victory of the ruling party in The province of Buenos Aires was positioned as the “big surprise” at night, according to Clarín. In that province, Peronism had triumphed with more than 13 points in the September provincial elections and on this occasion, La Libertad Avanza won by less than one point. In the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, meanwhile, Milei’s coalition obtained more than 20 points of difference.
Although 35.9 million citizens were eligible to vote, only 67.5% of the voters went to the polls. With this, Argentina has registered the lowest electoral participation since the return to democracy in 1983.
According to the BBC, Milei required at least a third of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies to maintain his veto power.
It was one of the most anticipated political events in the neighboring country and even attracted international attention after the president of the United States, Donald Trump, conditioned financial support to Argentina if the results were not successful for his counterpart, Javier Milei. “If you don’t win, we’re leaving.”Trump said during the Argentine president’s visit to the White House.
The Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, even recognized this Wednesday that the elections are “more important than the presidential elections of 2027”. And the ruling party has faced complex scenarios, among them, the defeat in the September provincial elections, criticism of the harsh economic adjustment promoted by the Executive and the scandals that plagued Milei, including the investigation into the cryptocurrency he promoted and the audios linked to his sister, Karina.
Until before the elections, there was no clear trend in all the opinion polls that declared one political force the winner over another. As reported by La Nación, a survey by Opina Argentina, awarded victory by two points to Peronism over La Libertad Avanza. On the other hand, a study by CB Consultora declared the ruling party the winner with 40.8%. Both surveys, however, showed that in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires the ruling party would win, while in the province of Buenos Aires the trend was towards Peronism.
