Argentina: cascading resignations from the government after an electoral setback

The ruling center-left coalition won less than 31% of the nationwide vote on Sunday, two months before the legislative elections.

© AP / Marco Ugarte

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Three days after an electoral setback, several of the ministers in Alberto Fernandez's government presented their resignation to him on Wednesday, September 15, when the president had expressed his desire not to reshuffle his government immediately.

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With our correspondent in Buenos Aires,

Théo Conscience

In all, five ministers, those of the Interior, Justice, Environment, Science and Culture as well as several senior officials tendered their resignation to Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on Wednesday (September 15th). 

All are loyal to Vice-President Cristina Kirchner, who, according to Argentinian media, is pushing the president to reshuffle his cabinet since the stinging

electoral setback suffered by the Peronist majority

in the primaries of the legislative elections. On Sunday, government candidates were beaten in 17 of Argentina's 24 provinces, including their stronghold, the province of Buenos Aires. On election night, the president took responsibility for the defeat,

acknowledging "

mistakes

 " from

 which he promised to learn lessons. 

The ruling center-left coalition won less than 31% of the nationwide vote on Sunday, two months before the legislative elections to renew half of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and a third of those in the Senate.

The center-right coalition of the former president of Mauricio Macri obtained 40% of the vote and made strong progress in the province of Buenos Aires.

Barometer

In Argentina, the primaries concern all political parties and voting is compulsory.

They therefore constitute a full-scale barometer before the elections.

Weakened by his own camp, Alberto Fernandez did not, Wednesday evening, accept the resignation of his ministers, in accordance with the desire he had displayed to keep his cabinet at least until the legislative elections, scheduled for November 14.

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• Argentina

• Alberto Fernandez