At stake in this election:

• 24 seats in the Senate (Senado de la Nación)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Nestor KIRCHNER *
• Head of Government: President Nestor KIRCHNER
• Assembly: Argentina has a bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of the Senate (Senado de la Nación) with 72 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) with 257 seats.

* The president is both the chief of state and head of government.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Senate (Senado de la Nación) 72 members are elected by direct vote to serve 6-year terms*. In the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) 257 members are elected by direct vote to serve 4-year terms.**

* One-third of the Senate is renewable every two years.

** One-half of the Chamber of Deputies is renewable every two years.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Justicialist Party (PJ) / Partido Justicialista
  • Leader: vacant
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 9
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 60
• Party: Party of Victory**
  • Leader: Nestor KIRCHNER
  • Seats won in last Senate election: N/A
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: N/A
• Party: Alternative for a Republic of Equals (ARI) / Alternativa por una República de Iguales
  • Leader: Elisa CARRIO
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 1
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 8
• Party: Recreate for Growth (RECREAR) / Recrear para el Crecimiento
  • Leader: Ricardo LOPEZ MURPHY
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 1
• Party: Radical Civic Union (UCR)
  • Leader: Angel ROZAS
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 5
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 22
• Party: Socialist Party / (PS)
  • Leader: Ruben GIUSTINIANI
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 1
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 3

** The Party of Victory was allied with the Justicialist Party in the last elections.

Last Legislative election:

• Legislative elections were last held between August and November 2003.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 39,537,943 (July 2006 est.)
• Registered Voters: 26,098,093 (September 2005 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 19,996,580 (2005)

·         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: 47 (Chamber of Deputies); 10 (Senate)

·         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: 5,930,691 (est.)