Four of Argentina’s 24 provinces went to the polls in local elections on Sunday, and the ruling Peronist coalition came out victorious in all of them, showing that the bottom has not yet dropped out for President Alberto Fernández’s Frente de Todos coalition despite the government’s economic struggles, not least rising triple-digit inflation.
Gubernatorial races in the northwestern Salta province, central La Pampa, and southernmost Tierra del Fuego were all won by government allies. The only close race was that of La Pampa, where Peronist governor Sergio Ziliotto took a 47-42 win to secure re-election, while margins of victory stood at 30 percentage points in Salta and 40 in Tierra del Fuego.
Argentina’s Supreme Court suspended gubernatorial races in the San Juan and Tucumán provinces in response to an opposition complaint against re-election bids from Peronist candidates, increasing tensions between the government and the country’s top tribunal.
But Peronism still won the local representatives’ election in San Juan, and the vote in Tucumán — where Peronism is also seen as a favorite — will be held in the coming weeks.
While Sunday’s races took place in traditional Peronist strongholds, the results will revitalize the ruling coalition ahead of October’s presidential elections, in which it faces an uphill battle if it is to hold on to power, considering Mr. Fernández’s low approval ratings.
Electoral coalitions and their candidates will be decided next month and primaries held in August, but the government is struggling to find a competitive name. President Fernández has already stood down, Vice President Cristina Kirchner is seen as too much of a polarizing figure, and Economy Minister Sergio Massa has failed in his promise to contain inflation.
The election is currently seen as a three-horse race between Peronism, the center-right opposition coalition, and the far-right candidacy of economist Javier Milei. The latter has been rising in the polls over the last few weeks, but Mr. Milei’s political outfit has struggled mightily in provincial elections, failing to field a competitive candidate in most races.
If Peronism remains competitive and Mr. Milei’s appeal as an outsider shows further signs of weakness, that three-horse race could once again become a head-to-head clash between the government and the center-right opposition.
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