Legislative elections were held in Argentina on 27 October 2013. Open

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s (PASO) were previously held on 11 August 2013 to determine eligible

party list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...

s for the general election. As in 2011 – when such primaries were held for the first time – each party list had to reach a 1.5% threshold at the provincial level in order to proceed to the 27 October polls. The elections renewed half of the members of the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

for the period 2013–2017 and a third of the members of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for the period 2013–2019. Chamber of Deputies (Lower House) elections were held in every district; Senate elections were, in turn, held in the provinces of Chaco, Entre Ríos, Neuquén, Río Negro,

Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...

Santiago del Estero Santiago del Estero (, Spanish for ''Saint-James-Upon-The-Lagoon'') is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 252,192 inhabitants, () making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a surf ...

, and Tierra del Fuego, as well as in the City of Buenos Aires. Corrientes Province held the only elections for governor in 2013, doing so on 15 September. These elections included two significant novelties. Following the enactment of a law to that effect in 2012, voluntary suffrage was extended to voters age 16 and 17, which increased eligible voters by 4.5% or about 1.2 million; of this total, approximately 600,000 registered to vote. Argentine voters in 2013 also parted with the traditional election-day seal stamped on National Identity Documents (DNI) by election officials, receiving instead a ballot stub with a bar code and serial number.

Background

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was reelected in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, and the

Kirchnerist Kirchnerism ( es, Kirchnerismo ) is an Argentine political movement based on populist ideals formed by the supporters of Néstor Kirchner and his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who consecutively served as Presidents of Argentina. Althoug ...

Front for Victory (FpV) rode her coattails in gubernatorial and congressional races alike. Following the elections, however,

foreign exchange controls Foreign exchange controls are various forms of controls imposed by a government on the purchase/sale of foreign currencies by residents, on the purchase/sale of local currency by nonresidents, or the transfers of any currency across national bor ...

, austerity measures, persistent inflation, and downturns in Brazil, Europe, and other important trade partners, resulted in a sudden downturn and a consequent erosion of the president's popularity. A series of '' cacerolazos'' organized by opponents of the government took place during 2012 and 2013 ( 13S, 8N,

18A The 18A was an Argentine ''cacerolazo'' that took place on April 18, 2013. Attended by nearly two million people, it was the largest demonstration at the time against the president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Antecedents The 18A (a term tha ...

, and 8A). The recession was shorter and shallower than much of the local media had predicted, however; and while the FpV entered the 2013 campaign season with sounder footing on pocketbook issues, they were dogged by ongoing speculation that its caucus sought a two-thirds majority in the Lower House with the goal of amending the Constitution to allow the president to seek a third term. A survey conducted in June 2013 by the consulting firm CEIS gave the Front for Victory (the majority party in Congress, as well as the party in power since 2003) 30.3% in the City of Buenos Aires and 39.7% in the Province of Buenos Aires (the largest electoral district). The right-wing

PRO Pro is an abbreviation meaning "professional". Pro, PRO or variants thereof may also refer to: People * Miguel Pro (1891–1927), Mexican priest * Pro Hart (1928–2006), Australian painter * Mlungisi Mdluli (born 1980), South African retired f ...

polled at 23.4% and 16.7%, respectively; the

Federal Peronist Federal Peronism ( es, Peronismo Federal), also known as Dissident Peronism ( es, Peronismo Disidente) and Menemism ( es, Menemismo), are the informal names given to a conservative political alliance between Justicialist Party figures, curren ...

s and other PJ

s opposed to Kirchnerism, 10.3% and 16.7%; the centrist Civic Coalition, 9.2% and 5.0%; and the center-left UCR, 7.4% and 8.0%. The FpV, moreover, had the advantage of having relatively few

Lower House A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

seats at stake in 2013. Congressmen in Argentina serve four-year terms, and gains for the various opposition parties in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

meant that 2013 put a disproportionate number of their Lower House seats at stake: while the FpV contested 38 of its 116 Lower House seats, a full 76 of 118 opposition seats were at stake this year (a further 13 seats of the 23 belonging to minor parties allied with the FpV were at stake).

Primaries

The PASO primaries were held on Sunday, 11 August, amid high turnout consistent with recent past elections and estimated by Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo at over 70%. The Province of Buenos Aires, the largest electoral district and home to 3 out of 8 Argentines, dominated campaign news much as it has in every mid-term election in recent years. As the

filing deadline on 22 June drew near, the spotlight focused on the popular mayor of Tigre, Sergio Massa. Massa had been elected mayor on the FpV slate, and had served in a number of high-ranking posts in the administrations of both Cristina Kirchner and her predecessor and husband, the late Néstor Kirchner. His relationship with the Kirchners had been a difficult one, however, and though polling gave him better prospects running for Congress under the FpV party list than on a separate slate, Massa ultimately opted to form his own ''

Frente Renovador The Renewal Front ( es, Frente Renovador, FR) is a Peronist political party in Argentina led by Sergio Massa, who is part of the Frente de Todos. Massa is a Peronist and said he wants to "build the Peronism of the 21st century." History It ...

'' (Renewal Front) ticket with the support of the 'Group of 8' Buenos Aires Province Mayors and others, notably former

Argentine Industrial Union The Argentine Industrial Union ( es, Unión Industrial Argentina, or, UIA) is the leading industrial employer federation and advocacy group in Argentina. The UIA is a member of the International Organisation of Employers. History Early developmen ...

president José Ignacio de Mendiguren (an ally of Kirchnerism). Massa's decision to run as an opponent deprived the FpV of a key ally and he moved quickly to consolidate the center-right vote in Buenos Aires Province by obtaining the endorsement of the

(which ran on the Renewal Front list headed by Massa rather than on its own).

Congressman Francisco de Narváez, who would be in direct competition with the Renewal Front for the province's large center-right Peronist vote, believed that the charismatic Massa was in reality a " trojan horse" for the FpV; Renewal Front congressmen, per his reasoning, would run against Kirchnerism only to vote with them once elected to Congress. The Renewal Front, in any case, ultimately defeated the FpV list headed by Lomas de Zamora Mayor

Martín Insaurralde Martín Insaurralde (born 30 May 1970) is an Argentine politician of the Justicialist Party. He was ''intendente'' (mayor) of the Lomas de Zamora (municipality) from 16 December 2014 to 17 September 2021, and was previously between 28 October ...

by about 35% to 30%, with the

Progressive, Civic and Social Front The Progressive, Civic and Social Front (, FPCyS) is a center-left political coalition in Santa Fe Province, Argentina. History It was first formed in Santa Fe Province in 2006, but was adapted in other provinces for the 2013 legislative ele ...

(FPCyS) list headed by Congressmen Margarita Stolbizer and Ricardo Alfonsín and Congressman de Narváez's Front for Union and Work list receiving about 11% each; were this result to be mirrored in October, de Narváez would lose four of eight congressmen he led in 2009 on the successful ''Unión/PRO'' list. The centrist Civic Coalition ARI, for its part, arguably achieved its most significant political victory in four years when Congressman

Alfonso Prat-Gay Alfonso Prat-Gay (born 24 November 1965) is an Argentine economist and politician. Following the election of Mauricio Macri to the presidency on 2015, he became Minister of Economy. He was also President of the Central Bank of Argentina from ...

forged the Civic Coalition-led ''Juntos UNEN'' (Together They Unite) alliance with UCR Congressional caucus leader Ricardo Gil Lavedra, leftist

Proyecto Sur Proyecto Sur ( en, Project South) is a progressive political party established in 2007 in Argentina. It was founded and would be led by film maker Pino Solanas, who ran on the Proyecto Sur ticket for president in 2007 and for Mayor of Buenos A ...

leader

Pino Solanas Fernando Ezequiel "Pino" Solanas (16 February 1936 – 6 November 2020) was an Argentine film director, screenwriter, and politician. His films include; '' La hora de los hornos (The Hour of the Furnaces)'' (1968), '' Tangos: el exilio de Gardel'' ...

, former Civic Coalition head Elisa Carrió (who left the CC in 2012 following a poor showing in the 2011 presidential race), and

Victoria Donda Victoria Analía Donda Pérez (born 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine human rights activist and legislator. She is the first daughter of a "disappeared" person, born in captivity, to become a member of the Argentine National Cong ...

of the leftist Freemen of the South Movement in January 2013. Prat-Gay was nominated as the lead UNEN candidate for a seat in the

Argentine Senate The Honorable Senate of the Argentine Nation ( es, Honorable Senado de la Nación Argentina) is the upper house of the National Congress of Argentina. Overview The National Senate was established by the Argentine Confederation on July 29, 185 ...

for the City of Buenos Aires (where the alliance was strongest), and Gil Lavedra the lead UNEN candidate for the Lower House; former Economy Minister

Martín Lousteau Martín Lousteau (born 8 December 1970) is an Argentine economist and politician of the Radical Civic Union. He is National Senator for Buenos Aires. He was Minister of Economy under the administration of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, from D ...

(who fell out with President Fernández de Kirchner after his 2008 dismissal) joined Gil Lavedra and Carrió on the UNEN Lower House list for the city. The City of Buenos Aires, ruled since 2007 by a

mayor, handed the rightist PRO an upset by giving UNEN standard-bearers Prat-Gay and Solanas the two Senate seats (out of three) accorded to the winning list in each district, edging out former Vice-Mayor Gabriela Michetti (who would obtain the third seat) and current City Environment Minister

Diego Santilli Diego César Santilli (born 6 April 1967) is an Argentine accountant and politician. A member of Republican Proposal (PRO), Santilli has served in a number of posts in the Buenos Aires city government, most notably as Deputy Deputy Chief of Gove ...

, and costing FpV Senator

Daniel Filmus Daniel Fernando Filmus (; born June 3, 1955) is an Argentine politician and academic, currently serving as the country's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, since 2021. Filmus formerly served as a National Senator for the City of Bu ...

his own seat. The PRO

for the city's delegation to the Lower House, headed by Rabbi Sergio Bergman (a member of the

Buenos Aires City Legislature The Buenos Aires City Legislature ( es, Legislatura de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, links=no, commonly known as the ) is a central part of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is housed in the Legislature Palace ( es ...

) and

Bank of the City of Buenos Aires The Bank of the City of Buenos Aires (''Banco Ciudad de Buenos Aires''), doing business as Banco Ciudad, is a publicly owned, municipal commercial bank in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was founded on May 23, 1878, under the name Monte de Piedad (P ...

director

Federico Sturzenegger Federico Sturzenegger (born 11 February 1966 in Rufino, Santa Fe) is an Argentine economist who was President of the Central Bank between 2015 and 2018. Sturzenegger has a PhD in Economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was ...

, was likewise defeated by the UNEN list headed by Congressmen Gil Lavedra and Carrió. The FpV list led by Legislator

Juan Cabandié Juan Cabandié Alfonsín (born 16 March 1978) is an Argentine politician, human rights activist and teacher. A member of the Justicialist Party and a founding member of ''La Cámpora'', a kirchnerist youth organization, Cabandié served two t ...

, came in third. Córdoba Province, where Governor José Manuel de la Sota broke with the president after being elected with her endorsement, is where the acrimony between these Peronist factions was probably most acute. De la Sota fielded former Governor

Juan Schiaretti Juan Schiaretti (born June 19, 1949) known as ''El Gringo'', is an Argentine accountant and Justicialist Party politician. He is the Governor of the Córdoba Province. Early life Schiaretti was born in Córdoba, Argentina, to Julia Álamo ...

as the head of his Lower House party list. Their Union for Córdoba list bested the UCR list headed by Congressman

Oscar Aguad Oscar Raúl Aguad (born May 7, 1950) is an Argentine politician who served as the Minister of Defense from 2017 to 2019, serving in the cabinet of President Mauricio Macri. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2005 to 2015, where he ...

, the PRO list headed by former football referee

Héctor Baldassi Héctor Walter Baldassi (born 5 January 1966) is an Argentine retired football referee and politician. His first Argentine first division was in 1998 and only two years later he debuted internationally. Nicknamed ''La Coneja'' ( Spanish for "th ...

, the FpV list headed by former

National University of Córdoba The National University of Córdoba ( es, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba,) is an institution of higher education in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of t ...

rector Carina Scotto, and the "It's Possible" list headed by former Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo with the support of neighboring San Luis Province Senator

Alberto Rodríguez Saá Alberto José Rodriguez Saá (born August 21, 1949) is an Argentine lawyer and politician. He is the Governor of San Luis Province. He was presidential candidate for the center-right peronism, Federal Peronism, in 2007 and 2011. The Rodrigue ...

). Cavallo, who ran as a conservative and lost much of his political base as economy minister during the 2001 crisis, failed to reach the requisite 1.5% threshold to advance to the 27 October general election. Santa Fe Province voted in the PASO election amid mourning for the 15 or more fatal victims claimed by the Rosario gas explosion on 6 August. Voters there gave the

list headed by former Governor Hermes Binner a victory over the PRO list headed by comedian

Miguel del Sel Miguel Ignacio Torres del Sel (born 3 July 1957) is an Argentinian politician and humorist, who has been National Deputy of Argentina representing Santa Fe province between 2013 and 2015. He belongs to Propuesta Republicana party. The president Ma ...

and the FpV list headed by former Governor Jorge Obeid; the Socialist Party, to which Binner and the current governor,

Antonio Bonfatti Antonio Bonfatti (born December 1, 1950) is an Argentine physician and politician from the Socialist Party, who was Governor of Santa Fe. From 2016 to 2021, he was president of the Socialist Party. Life and times Bonfatti was born in Rosario in ...

, belongs, is strongest in this province. Mendoza Province gave the UCR list headed by former Governor and Vice President

Julio Cobos Julio César Cleto Cobos (; born 30 April 1955) is an Argentine politician who was the Vice President of Argentina in the administration of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner from 2007 to 2011. He started his political career as member of ...

a victory over the FpV list headed by

Guaymallén Department Guaymallén is a central department of Mendoza Province in Argentina. The provincial subdivision has a population of about 250,000 inhabitants in an area of , and its capital city is Villa Nueva, which is located around from Buenos Aires. Hi ...

Mayor Alejandro Abraham. Cobos is probably best remembered for his surprise, tie-breaking vote in 2008 against a bill raising oilseed export taxes; though not an oilseed-producing province, conservative politics have historically been strong in Mendoza, and Cobos' unexpected axing of the measure was widely supported in his province. The PASO primaries thus gave congressional candidates on the Front for Victory (FpV) list a much reduced share of the popular vote (around 30%, compared to 57% in 2011), and the FpV led in only 10 of 23 provinces. They retained a plurality of the vote, however, and by virtue of having only 37 Lower House seats at stake, will likely increase their parliamentary majority by two. The UCR and FPCyS together totaled around 24%, with the latter likely losing around 5 seats due to the large number of seats at stake. The FpV fared better in most Senate races, losing only in the City of Buenos Aires while winning in Chaco, Entre Ríos, Río Negro,

, and Tierra del Fuego Provinces; like in the Lower House races, their popular vote for Senate races fell sharply (from 54% to 34%), but their 8% advantage over the UCR and FPCyS combined and their improved showing in Tierra del Fuego compensated their loss of support elsewhere. The Neuquén People's Movement that has dominated politics in

Neuquén Province Neuquén () is a province of Argentina, located in the west of the country, at the northern end of Patagonia. It borders Mendoza Province to the north, Rio Negro Province to the southeast, and Chile to the west. It also meets La Pampa Province a ...

since the 1960s and caucuses with the FpV in Congress, won in a landslide.

Senate

Radical Civic Union The Radical Civic Union ( es, Unión Cívica Radical, UCR) is a centrist and social-liberal political party in Argentina. It has been ideologically heterogeneous, ranging from social liberalism to social democracy. The UCR is a member of the So ...

(UCR), Socialist Party and allies , style="text-align:right;" , 1,356,419 , style="text-align:right;" , 26.37 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:#FFEF00;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Republican Proposal (PRO) and allies , style="text-align:right;" , 779,404 , style="text-align:right;" , 15.16 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:#808080;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Others (incl. Neuquén People's Movement) , style="text-align:right;" , 494,924 , style="text-align:right;" , 9.62 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:#F65058;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Left-wing (incl. Workers' Party) , style="text-align:right;" , 320,208 , style="text-align:right;" , 6.23 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:#191970;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Dissident Peronists , style="text-align:right;" , 213,676 , style="text-align:right;" , 4.15 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:#FFFFFF;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Against all , style="text-align:right;" , , style="text-align:right;" , , - , style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" colspan="2", Total valid votes , width="75" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 100.00 , - , style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" colspan="2", Invalid votes , style="vertical-align:top;" , , style="vertical-align:top;" colspan="2" rowspan="3", , - , style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" colspan="2", Total votes cast , style="vertical-align:top;" , , - , style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" colspan="2", Registered voters , style="vertical-align:top;" , , -

Chamber of Deputies

, - ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;" colspan="2", Parties ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Votes ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , % , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Kirchnerists and allies , style="text-align:right;" , 6,799,793 , style="text-align:right;" , 29.65 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:#191970;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Dissident Peronists (incl. Renewal Front) , style="text-align:right;" , 5,903,016 , style="text-align:right;" , 25.74 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:;" , , style="text-align:left;" ,

(UCR), Socialist Party and allies , style="text-align:right;" , 5,460,861 , style="text-align:right;" , 23.81 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:#FFEF00;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Republican Proposal (PRO) and allies , style="text-align:right;" , 1.525.995 , style="text-align:right;" , 6.65 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:#F65058;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Left-wing (

Workers' Left Front The Workers' Left Front – Unity ( es, Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores – Unidad, FIT-U) is an alliance of initially three Trotskyist parties in Argentina formed to fight a number of elections in 2011, announced at a press conference ...

Self-determination and Freedom Self-determination and Freedom ( es, Autodeterminación y Libertad, AyL) is a leftist political party in Argentina, with Luis Zamora as its most prominent member. Many of its leading members were part of the Trotskyist Movement for Socialism ...

etc.) , style="text-align:right;" , 1,243,252 , style="text-align:right;" , 5.42 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:#808080;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Others (incl. Neuquén People's Movement) , style="text-align:right;" , 802,019 , style="text-align:right;" , 3.5 , - , style="width: 10px; background-color:#FFFFFF;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Against all , style="text-align:right;" , , style="text-align:right;" , , - , style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" colspan="2", Total valid votes , width="75" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 100.00 , - , style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" colspan="2", Invalid votes , style="vertical-align:top;" , , style="vertical-align:top;" colspan="2" rowspan="3", , - , style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" colspan="2", Total votes cast , style="vertical-align:top;" , , - , style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" colspan="2", Registered voters , style="vertical-align:top;" , , -

Results

The second and final round, held on 27 October, closely mirrored the 11 August results. The Renewal Front (center/center-right Peronists) received a plurality of votes in Buenos Aires Province (the nation's largest), while the Front for Victory (left-wing Peronists) and allies maintained their majority in both houses of Congress with minimal changes in the party composition of either chamber. Turnout was high, and was estimated to have reached 76%. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, serving a second presidency, is constitutionally barred from standing in the 2015 election, and the Front for Victory lacks the special two-thirds majority needed for a constitutional amendment. The support for Front for Victory dropped from 54% in 2011 to 33% in 2013. The government faces increasing popular discontent, and the vice-president

Amado Boudou Amado Boudou (; born 19 November 1962) is an Argentine economist and politician who served as the Vice President of Argentina from 2011 to 2015. He previously served as Ministry of Economy (Argentina), Minister of Economy from 2009 to 2011. In ...

(currently acting as president while Fernández de Kirchner recuperates after surgery) is under investigation for the so-called

Boudougate Boudougate is a political scandal in Argentina involving Vice President Amado Boudou and the printing house Ciccone Calcográfica. The AFIP, the revenue service of Argentina, requested Ciccone's bankruptcy in July 2010; but the AFIP reversed itse ...

. Analysts for the BBC consider the poll results suggest Sergio Massa, Mauricio Macri and

Daniel Scioli Daniel Osvaldo Scioli (, ; born 13 January 1957) is an Argentine politician, sportsman, and businessman. He was Vice President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007 and Governor of Buenos Aires Province from 2011 to 2015. From 2020 to 2022 he was Argen ...

are likely candidates for the presidency in 2015.

Chamber of Deputies

Results by province

Senate

Results by province

References

External links

Elecciones 2013
- Official site, run by the

Interior ministry An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

of Argentina {{CFK 2013 elections in Argentina

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

October 2013 events in South America