Defeat for kirchner government in argentina election
The governing coalition frente para la victoria (FPV – front for victory) came in at 33.2 percent nationally on sunday, after receiving 97 percent of the votes cast, and suffered significant losses in the capital buenos aires and key provinces. Two years ago, the head of state received 54.1 percent of the vote in her re-election campaign.
The result blocks kirchner’s path to re-election in 2015. To push through a constitutional reform that would allow a third consecutive term, she needed a two-thirds majority in parliament. However, the government will only have a slim majority in congress in the future.
The FPV was clearly defeated by various opposition parties in the four most populous provinces and in the capital, buenos aires. The voter turnout was 79.3 percent, according to the electoral authorities. There have been no reports of any interceptions.
According to the preliminary results, the FPV with smaller allies will have 132 of the 257 seats in the chamber of deputies. The coalition of the socialists and the center party UCR can count on 61 deputies. The peronist groups that have separated from the government of kirchner, come to 19 seats, the conservative PRO has 18. In the senate, the government lost two mandates and will now have 39 of the 72 seats.
In the capital buenos aires, the conservative PRO party of mayor mauricio macri won ahead of a center-left coalition led by film director fernando pino solanas. In the province of buenos aires, the country’s largest electoral district, the frente renovador (FV – renewal front) of former cabinet chief sergio massa, who distanced himself from kirchner’s government three years ago, won by 12 percentage points over the FPV. In the province of santa fe, the socialists confirmed their dominance, led by former governor hermes binner, who came second in the 2011 presidential election.
Rising inflation, currency and import restrictions, corruption lawsuits and increasing crime are seen as reasons for popular dissatisfaction with the government.
The president could not cast her vote because she was not allowed to fly to her patagonian hometown of rio gallegos after an operation. She is recovering at her residence in buenos aires from a successful operation after a cerebral hemorrhage. Kirchner was therefore unable to take part in the election campaign and did not want to be seen after the election and the announcement of the results on late sunday (local time).
Some 30.6 million eligible voters were called to re-elect half of the deputies (127) and a third of the senators (24). The remaining deputies and senators will be elected in 2015 and 2017. For the first time, almost 600,000 young people aged 16 and 17 were also eligible to vote. In argentina, voting is compulsory for citizens between 18 and 70 years of age.