At Stake in this Election: 

• Candidacy in the Argentinian general election of 22 October 2023 

Argentina holds mandatory primary elections for all directly elected national positions. These elections are known as PASOs (primary, open, simultaneous, and obligatory). Party lists and pre-candidates must receive at least 1.5% of the vote (at the constituency or national level depending on the office) to advance to the general election. Elections for the governor of Santa Cruz and the head of government of Buenos Aires will occur on the same day as the primary election. 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Alberto Ángel FERNÁNDEZ (since 10 December 2019) 

• Head of Government: President Alberto Ángel FERNÁNDEZ (since 10 December 2019) 

• Assembly: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) with a 72-seat Senate (Senado) and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados)  

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by qualified plurality vote in up to two rounds. Candidates must receive either 45% of the overall vote or 40% of the vote and a 10-point lead to be elected in the first round. If those conditions are not met, the top two candidates advance to the second round, which is decided by absolute majority vote. The President may serve up to two 4-year terms. 

• In the Senate, all 72 members are directly elected from multi-seat constituencies. Each constituency (province) awards 2 seats to the highest-polling party and 1 seat to the second-place party. All members serve 6-year terms, and one-third of seats are up for election every 2 years. 

• In the Chamber of Deputies, all 257 members are directly elected by party-list proportional representation vote from multi-seat constituencies. Members serve 4-year terms, and half the seats are up for election every 2 years. 

Last Election: 

In 2019, Alberto FERNÁNDEZ (Everyone’s Front) won the presidency in one round with 48.10% of the vote, defeating Mauricio MACRI (Together for Change) and Roberto LAVAGNA (Federal Consensus). Voter turnout was 79%. The most recent national primary elections occurred in 2021, when only Senate and Chamber of Deputy seats were up for election. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 24 June 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: 25 April 2023 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

As this is a primary election, parties or coalitions may enter multiple presidential slates. 

• Together for Change / Juntos por el Cambio 

• Coalition made up of 7 parties 

• Candidates: 

• Horacio Antonio RODRÍGUEZ 

• Patricia BULLRICH 

• Leftists’ and Workers’ Front – Unity / Frente de Izquierda y de Trabajadores – Unidad 

• Coalition made up of 12 parties 

• Candidates: 

• Gabriel Esteban SOLANO 

• Myriam Teresa BREGMAN 

• Freedom Advances / La Libertad Avanza 

• Coalition made up of 14 parties 

• Candidates:  

• Javier Gerado MILEI 

• Federal Patriotic Front / Frente Patriótica Federal 

• Candidates:  

• Alejandro Cesar BIONDINI 

• We Act for Our Country / Hacemos por Nuestro País 

• Coalition made up of 3 parties 

• Candidates:  

• Juan SCHIARETTI 

• Lib.Ar.ating Front / Frente Liber.Ar 

• Coalition made up of 3 parties 

• Candidates:  

• Ramiro Eduardo VASENA 

• Nazareno Gabriel ETCHEPARE 

• Julio Donato BÁRBARO 

• Movement Towards Socialism / Movimiento al Socialismo 

• Candidates:  

• Manuela Jimena CASTAÑEIRA 

• Neighborly Action Movement / Movimiento de Acción Vecinal 

• Candidates:  

• Raul Humberto ALBARRACÍN 

• Left Youth Dignity Movement / Movimiento Izquierda Juventud Dignidad 

• Candidates:  

• Gabriel Santiago CÚNEO 

• Raul Anibal CASTELLS 

• Free Southern Movement / Movimiento Libres del Sur 

• Candidates:  

• Jesús Arnaldo ESCOBAR 

• Worker Politics / Política Obrera 

• Candidates:  

• Marcelo Armando RAMAL 

• Principles and Values / Principios y Valores 

• Coalition made up of 7 parties 

• Candidates: 

• Jorge Eduardo OLIVIER 

• Eliodoro MARTÍNEZ 

• Mario Guillermo MORENO 

• Paula Lorena ARIAS 

• Carina Paola BARTOLINI 

• Youth Project / Proyecto Joven 

• Candidates:  

• Reina Xiomara IBAÑEZ 

• Martín Miguel AYERBE Ortíz 

• Oscar Alfredo Ramón GIARDINELLI 

• Democratic Center Union / Unión del Centro Democrático 

• Candidates:  

• Andrés Gabriel PASSAMONTI 

• Union for the Fatherland / Unión por la Patria 

• Coalition made up of 20 parties 

• Candidates: 

• Juan GRABOIS 

• Sergio Tomás MASSA 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 46,621,847 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 35,394,425 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 23,546,387 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 15 July 1985 

• Gender Quota:  Yes, party lists for the National Congress must alternate between men and women, creating a 1:1 candidate gender ratio. 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 115 out of 257 (44.8%) in the Chamber of Deputies and 31 out of 72 (43.1%) in the Senate 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.842, Very High, Rank 47 (2021) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 18, Very low (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 2 September 2008 

• Projected population with a disability: 6,993,277 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Argentina: No   

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 6 judgments and 7 resources