• Latin America First examination in Argentina of the Government of Alberto Fernández

Peronism suffered a tough defeat this Sunday just 21 months after returning to power in Argentina, a result that opens the

prospects for a political change

in the third largest economy in Latin America.

"Obviously we will not have done something right so that people do not accompany us as we expected them to accompany us," acknowledged President

Alberto Fernández

when he appeared at the stroke of midnight on Sunday with the main candidates and Vice President

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner,

who did not uttered a word.

"Forceful defeat of Alberto Fernández and Cristina Kirchner throughout the country," summarized in its main headline the website "Infobae" what happened in the primaries that determined the candidates for the parliamentary elections on November 14.

Together for Change, the social-liberal coalition that governed between 2015 and 2019 with

Mauricio Macri

in the presidency, won in 16 of the 24 districts of the country and surpassed Peronism by almost five points in the province of Buenos Aires, which represents " the mother of all battles "in Argentine politics and is traditionally dominated by Peronism.

"There was a clear message from an Argentina that said enough to the lie. Argentina's opportunity is born here and we are seeing the end of populism," said Macri, in one of the first reactions to the results.

María Eugenia Vidal,

former governor of Buenos Aires, and on this occasion head of the list in the city of Buenos Aires, also achieved a wide triumph in the country's capital, with 48% that doubles the 24 points of the Peronist candidate, Leandro Santoro.

"Tomorrow we will wake up more relieved, with the backpack less loaded, feeling that something has changed. There is still less, but there is less and I feel that tonight has no turning back," said Vidal at the celebration of the opposition on a spring night in Buenos Aires.

While

Horacio Rodríguez Larreta,

mayor of the capital and presumable opposition presidential candidate in 2023, was able to celebrate the success of his decisions and his electoral strategy, President Fernández emphasized that this Sunday's were primaries and not the final elections .

"This huge survey, these primaries, are a piece of information that we are going to consider and as of tomorrow we are going to work so that in November, in the general election, Argentines join us. All of us who are here only want the happiness of our town".

The town, however, turned its back on Peronism with very striking results in districts where it traditionally predominates.

Beyond losing in the richest provinces of the country, such as Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Santa Fé, Mendoza and Entre Ríos, Peronism fell in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, dominated decades ago by the Kirchners, and in the northern Chaco and Misiones, where the opposition does not usually stand.

Another key piece of information is the significant loss of votes by Peronism in the suburbs, the populous area that surrounds the Argentine capital and which is the

basis of its electoral triumphs.

"Change of era: united Peronism is no longer invincible in Argentina," said analyst

Déborah Plager

on the LN + channel.

In addition to half the seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the November elections will renew a third of the Senate.

If the opposition repeats the results of this Sunday, Peronism will lose its own absolute majority that it has in the upper house.

The problem for Peronism is that history indicates that Juntos por el Cambio grows very significantly in votes between the primaries and the final elections.

Peronism, on the other hand, stagnates.

The primaries also had, in the midst of the pandemic that is still harshly felt in Argentina, a low turnout: only

67% of those qualified went to the polls

in a country where voting is mandatory.

Bad news for the government, because most of the voters who will join in November are, presumably, more akin to the opposition than to Peronism.

"There are two million votes missing and that

could aggravate the defeat in November,"

said "Clarín."

Aware of this, Fernández assured that "the campaign has just begun" and asked his people to take to the streets to convince those who did not vote for them.

"I have two years of government ahead of me, I am not going to lower my arms. I humbly ask you to help me. I want to finish this term without the poor," added Fernández.

Beyond what happens at the electoral level, Argentines also have their sights set on the evolution of the economy in the coming days.

The devaluation pressures on the peso are a classic of the electoral processes in the country, and the high monetary issue and uncontrolled inflation contribute to mistrust.

Fernández assured in recent days that an

agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

to renegotiate the debt of 44,000 million dollars with the organization is "close."

However, the internal tensions in Peronism, which will grow with the defeat this Sunday, threaten the stability of the Minister of Economy, Martín Guzmán, who is the man who is carrying out the dialogue with the IMF.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Argentina

  • IMF

  • Alberto Fernandez

  • Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

  • Elections Argentina

AmericaThe Argentine House of Cards: Alberto Fernández enters a crisis three weeks before the elections

Latin America First examination in Argentina of the Government of Alberto Fernández

The recovery race (VII) From Mexico to Argentina: the region hardest hit by Covid in the world struggles to stand up

See links of interest

  • Last News

  • Translator

  • Work calendar

  • Home THE WORLD TODAY

  • Fact checking

  • Sampdoria - Internazionale

  • Montpellier - St Etienne

  • Espanyol - Atlético de Madrid

  • Real Oviedo - FC Cartagena

  • Aragon MotoGP Grand Prix, live