Opposition in Argentina winning primaries in largest districts, according to early returns

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The main Argentinean opposition coalition is ahead of the ruling party in votes in the largest districts of the country, according to the first data of the vote count of the primaries of this Sunday, in which the candidates for the national legislative elections of November 14 are elected.

In the province of Buenos Aires, which contains 37% of the national electoral roll, the two lists of pre-candidates for deputies presented by Juntos, the main opposition coalition, congregate 38.26% of the votes, with 46.35% of the votes counted in the provisional count -the definitive one,carried out by the Judiciary, will start next Tuesday.

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It is followed by the single list of the ruling Frente de Todos, headed by Victoria Tolosa Paz, with 33.67% of the votes, followed by other opposition groupings.

Regarding the districts which follow in importance and with the vote count very advanced, in the province of Córdoba, the lists of the same opposition coalition, with the brand Juntos por el Cambio, also lead with 47.55% of the votes; in Santa Fe with 41.64% and in the city of Buenos Aires with 48.37%.

FIRST ELECTORAL TEST FOR FERNÁNDEZ

For these primaries of compulsory voting, known as PASO, 34.3 million Argentines were called to vote. It is in their hands to define the lists which will compete in the November elections, when 127 of the 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies will be disputed – now no group has an absolute majority – and 24 of the 72 in the Senate, dominated by the ruling party. However, for the Upper Chamber this time, only representatives from eight provinces will be elected.

Elections that take on special importance for being held during the pandemic – for which rigid protocols were established in the schools – and for being the first with Alberto Fernández as president so that analysts consider them a sort of plebiscite on his administration, marked by the pandemic and the continuity of the long recession that began in 2018.

RECOMPOSITION OF THE OPPOSITION

These PASO are also crucial for the opposition, which is trying to sort out leaderships after former President Mauricio Macri (2015-2019) was defeated by Fernández in the 2019 presidential elections.

That is why while the ruling Frente de Todos – whose leaders are President Fernández; the Vice President and former President (2007-2015), Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Sergio Massa – has presented a single list in most districts, as a symbol of unity, Juntos – mainly formed by Propuesta Republicana, the Unión Cívica Radical, and the Coalición Cívica – chose to present separate candidacies.