| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Congreso de la nación / National Congress |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Senado / Senate |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Cámara de Diputados / Chamber of Deputies
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
23 October 2011 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held to renew one-third (24) of the seats in the Senate on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
At stake in the 2011 elections were 130 of the 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 24 of the 72 seats in the Senate. Parliamentary elections were held in parallel with presidential polls.
The previous elections held in June 2009 were the first to be held under President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
the country's first elected woman President and wife of former President Néstor Kirchner. Following the elections
the Victory Front (FV)
which supported the President
lost control of both chambers. It held 87 of the 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 35 of the 72 seats in the Senate. The Radical Civic Union (UCR) and Federal Peronists
led by former President Eduardo Duhalde
held 43 and 29 seats respectively in the Chamber of Deputies. Other seats in both chambers went to small parties.
President Fernández de Kirchner pursued her husband's economic policy
which had pulled Argentina out of an economic crisis. Despite double-digit inflation
the country's economy remained strong (8 per-cent growth expected in 2011) and the unemployment rate was at a 20-year low (7.3 per cent in the second quarter).
In October 2010
former President Néstor Kirchner died of a heart attack
prompting a wave of sympathy for the incumbent President.
The media focused on the presidential elections
pushing the parliamentary elections to the back burner. The incumbent President's major challengers included Senator Ricardo Alfonsín (UCR)
who led the Union for Social Development (UDESO) and Mr. Hermes Binner
former Governor of Santa Fe. The latter
who had become the first Socialist governor in Argentina in 2007
led the Broad Progressive Front (FAP
which comprised the Socialist Party).
President Fernández de Kirchner's FV ran on the government's record
underscoring the country's strong economic growth. The President pledged to work for greater social inclusion and justice. The FAP promised to give priority to providing all citizens with the necessary education throughout their life. UDESO promised to promote regional economies
strengthen federalism and provide a better education system.
The incumbent President
who
under the current Constitution
is barred from seeking a new term in the next presidential elections due in 2015
stated that she would not amend the Constitution in order to seek a new term. However
she hinted at possible constitutional reforms aimed at introducing a parliamentary system. Mr. Binner (FAP) argued that a parliamentary system was far more democratic and less risky than a presidential one. Civic Coalition presidential candidate Elisa Carrió opposed the idea of a parliamentary system
which
in her view
was aimed at securing the indefinite re-election of the incumbent President.
In all
78.89 per cent of 28.9 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
The FV and its allies won 85 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
followed by the UCR and the FAP
which took 15 and 14 seats respectively. The FV and its allies regained control of both chambers
holding 134 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 41 in the Senate. The UCR took 41 Chamber seats and 17 Senate seats while the FAP won 28 seats in the Chamber and four in the Senate.
In the presidential elections
Ms. Fernández de Kirchner (FV) was re-elected in the first round
winning nearly 54 per cent of the votes. Her closest rival
Mr. Binner
took 17 per cent of the votes.
On 10 December
the newly elected members took up their seats in Congress. The Chamber of Deputies elected Mr. Julián Andrés Domínguez (FV) as its new Speaker while the new Vice-President of the country
Mr. Amado Boudou
became the President of the Senate as stipulated by the Constitution. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 23 October 2011 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Victory Front (FV) - PJ |
12
|
|
|
|
|
| Popular Front of Riojano |
3
|
|
|
|
|
| "Federal Commitment" Alliance |
3
|
|
|
|
|
| Radical Civic Union (UCR) |
3
|
|
|
|
|
| Alliance- Front du renouveau de la concorde |
2
|
|
|
|
|
| Progressive Front Alliance |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
15
9
37.50%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
IPU Group (15.12.2011)
http://www.elecciones2011.gov.ar
http://www.senado.gov.ar/senadores/listados/listaSenadoRes |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
