Image of President Milei celebrating the triumph of La Libertad Avanza (LLA) in the majority of Argentine provinces
La Libertad Avanza prevailed in most provinces and is consolidating as the main national political force. It faces the challenge of transforming electoral support into governability and management. The political space of President Javier Milei managed to establish itself across much of the national territory, consolidating its presence in Congress and reinforcing Javier Milei's position for a potential second term in 2027.
La Libertad Avanza achieved victories in provinces such as Mendoza, Córdoba, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Misiones, San Luis, Chaco, Jujuy, Salta, Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Tierra del Fuego, and a surprising victory in the province of Buenos Aires, along with a crushing win in the Federal Capital in the Chamber of Deputies, managing to secure 40% of the votes. This places them ahead of the kirchnerist Peronist force Fuerza Patria, which obtained 31%, followed by Provincias Unidas, representing the provincial parties with 7% of the votes, and the Left Front, which performed notably better compared to previous years, securing 3% of the votes. La Libertad Avanza obtained 64 seats in the lower house, bringing their total to 93 seats; the kirchnerism secured 31 seats, totaling 94 seats, with other forces like Provincias Unidas, the Left Front, and Frente Cívico por Santiago (Santiago del Estero Party) also gaining seats. Still, President Milei's party hasn't been able to secure an absolute majority in the deputies unless it constructs alliances with PRO and other factions to get laws or decrees proposed by the president approved.
In the Senate, La Libertad Avanza won in the provinces that elected senators, except for Santiago del Estero and Río Negro, highlighting the significant victory of Security Minister Patricia Bullrich in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, who secured 50% of the votes, which indicates she obtained half of the votes from Buenos Aires voters. Additionally, Diego Santilli won in the Province of Buenos Aires with 40% of the votes against the kirchnerist candidate, former chancellor Jorge Taiana, who received 39% of the votes, showing a slight advantage for the ruling party over the opposition. Peronism lost ground in the upper house, representing a gain for Javier Milei, as they had a much smaller presence and now have 13 senators, bringing their total to 24 senators.
The results represent a significant change in the Argentine political landscape, with a setback and sharp fragmentation of peronism leading up to the next elections in 2027. This is due to internal conflicts between Máximo Kirchner and Axel Kiciloff for the leadership of peronism at the national level, compelling them to reorganize to face and defeat Milei in the upcoming elections. In many provinces, the fragmented opposition facilitated the libertarian expansion, capturing independent votes and disenchanted electorate with traditional forces.
Milei's victory also raises questions. With a partially favorable Congress, the government will need to demonstrate that it can convert its electoral strength into management capacity and institutional dialogue, a difficult task for the administration as the economy shows inflation rates, and a lack of jobs and opportunities for young people persists, generating social unrest, particularly with austerity measures affecting retirees and people with disabilities, along with the corruption scandals in which he himself was implicated, such as the Libra case and the case of Karina Milei with the 3% bribes in ANDIS (National Agency for Disabilities), among other events that have cast doubt on Milei's government's continuity.
In conclusion, these legislative elections have presented an image of transition and change, as the electorate showed a preference for continuity of the current model but also a demand for concrete results in economic and social matters. What lies ahead from December 10 is a new, highly fragmented, and diverse Congress that will test the ability of all forces to build consensus in a context of high expectations and tensions.
Comments