Argentine general election, 2003

Argentina

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Argentina held presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday, April 27, 2003. Turnout was 78.2% and the results were as follows:

President

 Summary of the 27 April 2003 Argentine presidential election results

Candidates	Nominating parties	1st Round Votes	1st Round%	2nd Round
Carlos Saúl Menem	Front for Loyalty	4,740,907	19.48	abandoned
	Union of the Democratic Centre (Unión del Centro Democrático)		4.97
Néstor Carlos Kirchner	Front for Victory (Frente para la Victoria)	4,312,517	22.24	Winner
Ricardo López Murphy	Recreate for Growth (Recrear para el Crecimiento)	3,173,475	16.37
Adolfo Rodríguez Saá	Front of the Popular Movement (Frente Movimiento Popular)	2,735,829	12.07
	Union and Liberty Party (Partido Unión y Libertad)		2.04
Elisa María Avelina Carrió	Alternative for a Republic of Equals (Alternativa para una República de Iguales)	2,723,574	14.05
Leopoldo Moreau	Radical Civic Union (Unión Civica Radical)	453,360	2.34
Patricia Walsh	United Left (Izquierda Unida)	332,863	1.72
Alfredo Bravo	Socialist Party (Partido Socialista)	217,385	1.12
Total positive votes		19,387,895
Total votes		19,930,111
Source: Ministerio del Interior

Argentine Congress

Party/Electoral Alliance	Lower House Seats	% of votes	Senate
Justicialist Party	129	36.3%	41
UCR	54	14.2%	16
ARI	13	8.0%
Popular Movement for Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Province)	9	3.9%
Commitment to Change (City of Buenos Aires)	5	4.0%
Strength of Buenos Aires Alliance (City of Buenos Aires)	4	1.5%
Renewal Front Alliance (Misiones Province)	4	1.1%
Neuquén People's Movement (Neuquén Province)	4	0.6%	2
Self-determination and Freedom	4	1.3%
New Front Alliance (Córdoba Province)	3	2.7%	1
Republican Force (Tucumán Province)	3	0.8%	2
Others	25	25.6%	10
Invalid votes		14.5%
Total	257	100.0%	72

Background

For the first time since the return of democracy (1983), the Justicialist Party (PJ) failed to agree on a presidential candidate, and three strong candidates emerged from this party: former President Carlos Menem, Santa Cruz Province Governor Néstor Kirchner, and San Luis Province Governor Adolfo Rodríguez Saá. None were officially supported by the party, though President Eduardo Duhalde publicly endorsed Governor Kirchner on January 15, 2003. The PJ suspended its January 24 convention, opting to allow the three contenders to run on the Peronist mantle. Justice had ruled that none of the candidates would be allowed to use the traditional Peronist iconography in detriment of the others.

For the first time since 1916, the UCR was not a major party in the election. After the political collapse at the peak of the economic crisis that led to the resignation of President Fernando de la Rúa at the end of 2001, popular support for the PJ's traditional opponents, the centrist Radical Civic Union (UCR), was at historically low levels. Two strong former members of the UCR founded parties based on their politics: Congresswoman Elisa Carrió founded a left-of-center party, the ARI, and economist Ricardo López Murphy founded a right-wing one, Recrear.

These five strong candidates were practically tied in all the pre-election polls. Menem obtained the most votes in the first round, but not enough to be elected (about 25%), so a runoff election against Kirchner was required, and was scheduled for May 18. After two terms in office from 1989 to 1999, Menem's popularity was very low, and anticipating a landslide defeat (the polls favored Kirchner 70%–30%), he forfeited the runoff on May 14, and Néstor Kirchner immediately became the president-elect.

Legislative races

Legislative and gubernatorial elections were held throughout 2003, with polls open in different provinces between April and November; average turnout was 70.8%.

These elections were unprecedented in their staggered scheduling; indeed, legislators and governors were chosen over 15 different dates, during 2003. They were also, however, a return to political normalcy following a chaotic and economically depressed 2002. The Justicialist Party, which was divided among three candidates in the presidential race, remained largely united in legislative and local races. They added 12 seats in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies, as well as 2 governorships, and fears of a high number of dissident tickets did not materialize. The centrist Radical Civic Union, senior partners in the ill-fated Alliance that had returned them to power in 1999, were left with their smallest representation since 1954, though they were not replaced by the center-left ARI in a significant way; the ARI added but 2 Congressmen. Voters sentiment improved over 2001 levels (when the sentiment among many was that "they should all go"); but not significantly. Turnout increased only modestly, and the use of invalid votes declined from 24% to 15% from the tense 2001 elections. Voters in the important Santa Fe Province, in particular, curbed their use of spoiled ballots from 30% to 20%.

President Néstor Kirchner, who was brought into office when his opponent forfeited the May 2003 runoff, ended 2003 on a more secure footing than before these local and legislative elections. He benefited from allies such as the new governor of the paramount Buenos Aires Province, Felipe Solá, as well as the Mayor of Buenos Aires, Aníbal Ibarra. Argentina celebrated 20 years of continuous democratic rule on December 10, 2003, with a new government carrying generous numbers of allies in Congress and the provinces, as well as voters' high expectations.

Candidates for President

• Front for Victory (center-left Peronism): Governor Néstor Kirchner of Santa Cruz Province
• Front for Loyalty (center-right Peronism): Former President Carlos Menem of La Rioja Province
• Recreate for Growth (conservative): Former Minister of Economy Ricardo López Murphy of Buenos Aires
• Front of the Popular Movement (centrist Peronism): Former President Adolfo Rodríguez Saá of San Luis Province
• Alternative for a Republic of Equals (Catholic left): Former Deputy Elisa Carrió of Chaco Province

• 

  Kirchner

• 

  Menem

• 

  López Murphy

• 

  Rodríguez Saá

• 

  Carrió

Bibliography

• Fraga, Rosendo (2010) (in Spanish). Fin de ciKlo: ascenso, apogeo y declinación del poder kirchnerista. Buenos Aires: Ediciones B. ISBN 978-987-627-167-7.