Argentine general election, 2003
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Argentina held presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday, April 27, 2003. Turnout was 78.2% and the results were as follows:
Background
For the first time since the return of democracy in 1983), the Justicialist Party (PJ) failed to agree on a single presidential candidate. Three credible Peronist candidates ran in the election: center-right former President Carlos Menem, center-left Santa Cruz Province Governor Néstor Kirchner, and centrist San Luis Province Former president Adolfo Rodríguez Saá.[1] None were officially supported by the party, though President Eduardo Duhalde publicly endorsed Governor Kirchner on January 15, 2003. The PJ suspended its January 24 convention, opting to allow the three contenders to run on the Peronist mantle. None of the candidates were allowed to use the traditional Peronist iconography in detriment of the others.[1]
For the first time since 1916, the UCR did not field a presidential candidate.[1] After the political collapse at the peak of the economic crisis that led to the resignation of President Fernando de la Rúa at the end of 2001, popular support for the UCR was at historically low levels. Two strong former members of the UCR founded parties based on their politics: Congresswoman Elisa Carrió founded a left-of-center party, the ARI, and economist Ricardo López Murphy founded a right-wing one, Recrear.
These five strong candidates were practically tied in all the pre-election polls. Menem obtained the most votes in the first round, but far short of a first-round victory (about 25%), so a runoff election against Kirchner was required, and was scheduled for May 18. After two terms in office from 1989 to 1999, Menem's popularity remained very low. With polls showing Kirchner headed for a landslide victory (polls showed him leading Menem by anywhere from a 35 to a 50% margin),[2] Menem withdrew from the runoff on May 14, and Néstor Kirchner immediately became the president-elect.[3]
Legislative races
Legislative and gubernatorial elections were held throughout 2003, with polls open in different provinces between April and November; average turnout was 70.8%.[4]
These elections were unprecedented in their staggered scheduling; indeed, legislators and governors were chosen over 15 different dates, during 2003. They were also, however, a return to political normalcy following a chaotic and economically depressed 2002.
The Justicialist Party, which was divided among three candidates in the presidential race, remained largely united in legislative and local races. They added 12 seats in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies, as well as 2 governorships, and fears of a high number of dissident tickets did not materialize.
The centrist Radical Civic Union, senior partners in the ill-fated Alliance that had returned them to power in 1999, were left with their smallest representation since 1954, though they were not replaced by the center-left ARI in a significant way; the ARI added but 2 Congressmen.
Voters sentiment improved over 2001 levels (when the sentiment among many was that "they should all go"), though not significantly. Turnout increased only modestly, and the use of invalid votes declined from 24% to 15% from the tense 2001 elections. Voters in the important Santa Fe Province, in particular, curbed their use of spoiled ballots from 30% to 20%.[5]
Kirchner ended 2003 on a more secure footing than before these local and legislative elections. He benefited from allies such as the new governor of the paramount Buenos Aires Province, Felipe Solá, as well as the Mayor of Buenos Aires, Aníbal Ibarra. Argentina celebrated 20 years of continuous democratic rule on December 10, 2003, with a new government carrying generous numbers of allies in Congress and the provinces, as well as voters' high expectations.[5]
President
| Candidates | Nominating parties | 1st Round Votes |
1st Round% | 2nd Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Saúl Menem | Front for Loyalty | 4,740,907 | 19.48 | abandoned |
| Union of the Democratic Centre (Unión del Centro Democrático) | 4.97 | |||
| Néstor Carlos Kirchner | Front for Victory (Frente para la Victoria) | 4,312,517 | 22.24 | Winner |
| Ricardo López Murphy | Recreate for Growth (Recrear para el Crecimiento) | 3,173,475 | 16.37 | |
| Adolfo Rodríguez Saá | Front of the Popular Movement (Frente Movimiento Popular) | 2,735,829 | 12.07 | |
| Union and Liberty Party (Partido Unión y Libertad) | 2.04 | |||
| Elisa María Avelina Carrió | Alternative for a Republic of Equals (Alternativa para una República de Iguales) | 2,723,574 | 14.05 | |
| Leopoldo Moreau | Radical Civic Union (Unión Civica Radical) | 453,360 | 2.34 | |
| Patricia Walsh | United Left (Izquierda Unida) | 332,863 | 1.72 | |
| Alfredo Bravo | Socialist Party (Partido Socialista) | 217,385 | 1.12 | |
| Total positive votes | 19,387,895 | |||
| Total votes | 19,930,111 | |||
| Source: Ministerio del Interior | ||||
Argentine Congress
| Party/Electoral Alliance | Lower House Seats |
% of votes | Senate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justicialist Party | 129 | 36.3% | 41 |
| UCR | 54 | 14.2% | 16 |
| ARI | 13 | 8.0% | |
| Popular Movement for Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Province) |
9 | 3.9% | |
| Commitment to Change (City of Buenos Aires) |
5 | 4.0% | |
| Strength of Buenos Aires Alliance (City of Buenos Aires) |
4 | 1.5% | |
| Renewal Front Alliance (Misiones Province) |
4 | 1.1% | |
| Neuquén People's Movement (Neuquén Province) |
4 | 0.6% | 2 |
| Self-determination and Freedom | 4 | 1.3% | |
| New Front Alliance (Córdoba Province) |
3 | 2.7% | 1 |
| Republican Force (Tucumán Province) |
3 | 0.8% | 2 |
| Others | 25 | 25.6% | 10 |
| Invalid votes | 14.5% | ||
| Total | 257 | 100.0% | 72 |
Governors and Mayor of Buenos Aires
Provincial officials in all districts except Corrientes Province, were elected, as well as the Chief of Government of the City of Buenos Aires. The Justicialist Party wrested two governorships from the UCR (Chubut and Entre Ríos Provinces), and the UCR recovered Tierra del Fuego from the Justicialists.[7]
| District | Elected Governor | Party | % | Runner-up | Party | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buenos Aires | Felipe Solá | Justicialist | 43.3 | Luis Patti | Federalist Unity Party | 13.3 |
| Catamarca | Eduardo Brizuela del Moral | Civic Social Front (UCR) | 50.8 | Luis Barrionuevo | Justicialist Front | 43.5 |
| Chaco | Roy Nikisch | UCR | 53.4 | Jorge Capitanich | Front for Victory | 40.9 |
| Chubut | Mario Das Neves | Justicialist | 45.6 | José Lizurume L | UCR | 41.2 |
| City of Buenos Aires1 | Aníbal Ibarra R | Great Front | 53.5 | Mauricio Macri | Commitment to Change | 46.5 |
| Córdoba | José Manuel de la Sota R | Justicialist | 51.8 | Oscar Aguad | UCR | 37.2 |
| Entre Ríos | Jorge Busti | Justicialist | 44.6 | Sergio Varisco | Social Front Alliance | 34.4 |
| Formosa | Gildo Insfrán R | Justicialist | 71.8 | Gabriel Hernández | Front for All | 24.4 |
| Jujuy | Eduardo Fellner R | Justicialist | 55.8 | Gerardo Morales | UCR | 35.2 |
| La Pampa | Carlos Verna | Justicialist | 49.1 | Francisco Torroba | Alternative Front | 25.5 |
| La Rioja | Ángel Maza R | Justicialist | 55.4 | Jorge Yoma | Work and Production Front | 43.4 |
| Mendoza | Julio Cobos | UCR | 42.9 | Guillermo Amstutz | Justicialist | 35.7 |
| Misiones | Carlos Rovira R | Renewal Front | 47.9 | Ramón Puerta | Justicialist | 32.4 |
| Neuquén | Jorge Sobisch R | Neuquén People's Movement | 56.1 | Aldo Duzdevich | Justicialist | 19.9 |
| Río Negro | Miguel Saiz | UCR | 32.6 | Julio Arriaga | Great Front | 20.4 |
| Salta | Juan Carlos Romero R | Justicialist | 49.7 | Andrés Zottos | Salta Renewal Party | 24.4 |
| San Juan | José Luis Gioja | Justicialist | 41.4 | Roberto Basualdo | Life and Commitment Front | 30.8 |
| San Luis | Alberto Rodríguez Saá | Justicialist | 90.1 | Marcelo Shortrede | Fatherland and Family Movement | 5.5 |
| Santa Cruz | Sergio Acevedo | Justicialist | 70.9 | Anselmo Martínez | Convergence for Santa Cruz | 27.9 |
| Santa Fe | Jorge Obeid | Justicialist | 43.2 | Hermes Binner | Socialist Party | 38.3 |
| Santiago del Estero2 | Mercedes Aragonés de Juárez R | Justicialist | 68.1 | José Luis Zavalía | UCR | 13.0 |
| Tierra del Fuego | Jorge Colazo | UCR | 52.8 | Carlos Manfredotti L | Justicialist | 47.2 |
| Tucumán | José Alperovich | Justicialist | 44.4 | Esteban Jerez | Union for Tucumán | 25.8 |
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References
- 1 2 3 Fraga, Rosendo (2010). Fin de ciKlo: ascenso, apogeo y declinación del poder kirchnerista. Ediciones B. pp. 21–23.
- ↑ "Menem pierde el invicto y la fama". Página/12.
- ↑ Todo Argentina: Kirchner (Spanish)
- 1 2 Andy Tow's Electoral Atlas of Argentina
- 1 2 Todo Argentina: 2003 (Spanish)
- ↑ Argentine Interior Ministry
- ↑ "Gobernador electo (2003)". Atlas Electoral de Andy Tow.
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