Argentina: Legislative Election, 27 October 2013

At stake in this election:

• 24 seats in the Senado (Senate)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER
• Head of Government: President Cristine FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER
• Assembly: Argentina has a bicameral Congreso de la Nacion (National Congress) consisting of the Senado (Senate)  with 72 seats and the Camera de Diputados (Chamber of Deputies) with 257 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• Members of the Senate are elected by regional legislatures to serve 6-year terms. One-third (24 members) of the Senate is renewable every two years. 

Last Election:

• Elections for the Senate were last held on 23 October 2011. The Victory Front won 12 seats, the Popular Front of Riojano won 3, the Federal Commitment Alliance won 3, the Radical Civic Union won 3, the Front du Renouveau de la Concorde won 2, and the Progressive Front Alliance won 1 seat. 

Main candidates in the election:

• Front for Victory/Frente para la Victoria
  • Leader: Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER
  • Seats won in last election: 12
• Radical Civic Union
  • Leader: Ernesto SANZ
  • Seats won in last election: 3
• ​Republican Proposal/Propuesta Republicana
  • ​Leader: Mauricio MACRI
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• ​Federal Peronism (Justicialist Party)/Peronismo Federal (Partido Justicialista)
  • ​Leader: Eduardo FELLNER
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• ​Neuquen People's Movement/Movimiento Popular Neuquino
  • ​Leader: Jorge SOBISCH
  • Seats won in last election: 0

Population and number of registered voters:

·         Population: 41,446,246 (July 2013)

·         Registered Voters: 30,635,464

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 21,250,587 (July 2013 est.)

·         Is Argentina a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Argentina ratified CEDAW: Yes (15 July 1985)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 101 (35.94%)

·         Human Development Index Position: 40 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Argentina a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Argentina ratified CRPD: Yes (2 September 2008)

·         Population with a disability: 6,453,656