1997 Argentine legislative election

1997 Argentine legislative election

26 October 1997
127 of 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
Turnout	79.63%
Party Vote % Seats +/– Chamber of Deputies Alliance for Work, Justice and Education 46.94% 63 +12 Justicialist Party 36.37% 50 −18 Action for the Republic 3.84% 3 +3 Republican Force 1.43% 2 +1 Democratic Party of Mendoza 1.32% 2 +1 New Party 1.30% 2 +2 Democratic Progressive Party 0.92% 1 +1 Others 7.91% 4 −5 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. Results by province

Argentina held national legislative elections on 26 October 1997. This election was the second time of the peronist Justicialist Party defeated since 1985, while Justicialist Party maintained control of the Congress.

Background

President Carlos Menem, who successfully campaigned to have the Argentine Constitution amended in 1994 largely for the sake of being eligible for a second term in office, won the 1995 election in a landslide. The clouds of recession gathered immediately, however, as Argentine business confidence struggled following the shock of the Mexican peso crisis. Unemployment in Argentina, already higher as a result of a wave of imports and sharp gains in productivity after 1990, leapt from 12% to 18% in the first half of 1995 and, as Argentines geared for the 1997 parliamentary mid-term elections two years later, the figure remained around 15% and wages, frozen at their 1994 level.

Themselves beset by sharp divisions over how to confront President Menem, whose longtime pragmatism had given way to increasingly doctrinaire conservatism, the Justicialists' mainstay of support, the CGT labor union, joined smaller unions, leftist activists and the progressive FrePaSo (the runners-up in the 1995 elections) in a series of general strikes beginning August 1996.

Economic problems also led to a sudden increase in crime, particularly property crime, even during the vigorous recovery during 1996–97. Menem's erstwhile "ace of spades," Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo, whose Convertibility Plan was lauded as the reason behind the "Argentine miracle" between 1991 and 1994 (in which the economy, following 16 years of zero growth, expanded by a third), became unpopular during the recession and strained relations with the President after publicly denouncing the influence of "mafias" within the administration. Cavallo was acrimoniously dismissed by the President in July 1996; but the January 1997 murder of Noticias newsmagazine photojournalist José Luis Cabezas and the subsequent implication of transport magnate Alfredo Yabrán in the crime lent credence to Cavallo's accusations and cost the ruling Justicialist Party further approval.

Presented with a unique opportunity following his once mighty party's poor showing at the 1995 polls, former president and UCR leader Raúl Alfonsín negotiated an alliance with the center-left FrePaSo and, though in a number of provinces - including the second-largest (Córdoba) - the UCR and FrePaSo ran on different slates, the Alliance won a majority of congressional seats in 13 of 23 provinces and in the city of Buenos Aires. The results marked the twilight of Menemists' dominance of Argentine politics.

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats won	Total seats
	Alliance for Work, Justice and Education (Alianza)	8,097,301	46.94	63	114
	Justicialist Party (PJ)	6,274,385	36.37	50	118
	Action for the Republic (AR)	662,403	3.84	3	3
	Republican Force (FR)	247,129	1.43	2	3
	Democratic Party of Mendoza (PD)	228,291	1.32	2	3
	New Party (PANU)	223,668	1.30	2	2
	United Left (IU)	183,132	1.06	—	—
	Democratic Progressive Party (PDP)	159,035	0.92	1	2
	Movement for Dignity and Independence (MODIN)	158,380	0.92	—	—
	Workers' Party (PO)	152,345	0.88	—	—
	Humanist Party (PH)	122,777	0.71	—	—
	Open Policy for Social Integrity (PAIS)	121,128	0.70	—	—
	Union of the Democratic Centre (UCEDE)	94,845	0.55	—	3
	Development and Justice Party	77,476	0.45	1	1
	Autonomist - Liberal - PDP - UCEDE	77,228	0.45	1	3
	United People	73,436	0.43	—	—
	Authentic Socialist Party (PSA)	60,470	0.35	—	—
	Resistance Front	42,738	0.25	—	—
	Neuquén People's Movement (MPN)	42,701	0.25	1	2
	Social Progress Party (PPS)	25,863	0.15	—	—
	Retirees' Front	19,037	0.11	—	—
	Chaco Action (ACHA)	18,951	0.11	—	—
	Socialist Workers' Party (PTS)	16,743	0.10	—	—
	Fueguian People's Movement (MOPOF)	10,740	0.06	1	2
	Chubut Action Party (PACH)	8,863	0.05	—	—
	Institutional Action	7,739	0.04	—	—
	Jujuy People's Movement (MPJ)	7,681	0.04	—	1
	Social Unity Movement	6,952	0.04	—	—
	Liberal Democratic Party (PDL)	6,013	0.03	—	—
	Civic Action Movement	5,521	0.03	—	—
	La Rioja Provincial Defense	4,350	0.03	—	—
	Popular Line Movement (MOLIPO)	3,200	0.02	—	—
	Provincial Defense - White Flag	2,734	0.02	—	—
	Independent Call	2,492	0.01	—	—
	Río Gallegos Neighborhood Movement for Santa Cruz	2,251	0.01	—	—
	Salta Solidarity Front	1,915	0.01	—	—
	Opposition Front	1,571	0.01	—	—
Total		17,251,484	100	127	257
Positive votes		17,251,484	93.39
Blank votes		958,676	5.19
Invalid votes		262,219	1.42
Tally sheet differences		362	0.00
Total votes		18,472,741	100
Registered voters/turnout		23,198,858	79.63
Sources: