ARGENTINA
Parliamentary Chamber: Cámara de Diputados

ELECTIONS HELD IN 2001

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Chamber:
  Cámara de Diputados


Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):

  14 October 2001


Purpose of elections:

  Elections were held to renew one-half (127) of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.


Background and outcome of elections:

  Elections for the Senate and for one-half of the Chamber of Deputies were held on 14 October 2001. The Senate was in transition to a new system under which one-third of its members will be elected to six-year terms every two years. Previously, members were elected indirectly at the provincial level. At this election, all 72 seats in the Senate were filled by direct universal suffrage. The winners would then draw lots to decide whether they get two-, four- or six-year terms.

Turnout was 73.7%, the lowest since 1983. Altogether, with blank or invalid ballots, more than 10,2 millions electors (or 41 per cent of the registered electors) failed to choose any candidate, a reflection of growing discontent.

These elections were seen as the first national test of the two-year-old administration of President de la Rua. President Fernando de la Rua was elected in 1999 on a centre-left platform, but his multiple cabinet changes and seeming inability to deal with the recession had sent his public approval ratings plummeting to around 20 percent. The coalition he headed had fallen apart as many members of the alliance had left, disillusioned by a lack of firmness on corruption and by the government's economic orthodoxy. His partners had criticized the President for sticking by Domingo Cavallo, the controversial economy minister who had helped secure an $8 billion rescue package for Argentina from the International Monetary Fund in August 2001.

The opposition Peronists - Justicialist Party (PJ) - won a majority of seats in both Houses and will have 116 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 41 in the Senate while the ruling Alliance for Work, Justiceand Education will hold 88 and 25 in the Senate..

On 10 December 2001, the new Congress held its first sitting. Mr Eduardo Camaño was elected Speaker of the House of Deputies and Mr Ramón Puerta President of the Senate.

STATISTICS
Round no 1 (14 October 2001): Elections results  
Number of registered electors 24 735 483
Voters 18 602 837 (75 %)
Blank or invalid ballot papers 3 921 761
Valid votes 14 681 076

Round no 1: Distribution of seats  
Political Group Total
Justicialist Party (PJ) 116
Alliance for Work, Justice and Education (UCR and FREPASO) 88
Alternativa República de Iguales (ARI) 31
Federal Group of Independent Parties of the Interior 9
Action for the Republic (AR) 9
Front for Change 4

Distribution of seats according to sex:  
Men: 178
Women: 79
Percent of women: 30.74


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Copyright © 2001 Inter-Parliamentary Union