Hello and welcome back to the Latin America Weekly newsletter! In this issue: What Argentina’s primary midterms mean for Peronists. Latin America’s climate shortcomings. Trust in Chile’s constituent assembly waning.
Is Argentina’s century-old Peronist congressional streak ending?
In 1972, Argentina’s iconic leader Juan Domingo Perón described the country’s political landscape at the time, saying the spectrum was split equally between radicals, conservatives, and socialists. “So, where are the Peronists?” one journalist asked. “Ah,” Perón replied, “we’re all Peronists.”
- Well, apparently, not anymore, according to the latest electoral results.
Primaries. The opposition’s victory in Argentina’s midterm primaries last Sunday still needs to be ratified in two months’ time, but the magnitude of the result cannot be overstated, with anti-Peronist wins in 16 out of 24 provinces, including the five most populated.
Why it matters. The government is already not in control of the lower house, so losing the Senate would be a massive blow to Argentina’s embattled President Alberto Fernández.
History in the making. For Congress to change hands is noteworthy in itself. But Peronists are set to lose their Senate majority, suggesting an unprecedented shift in Argentina’s contemporary political history.
Seat count. If the November 14 elections echo primary results,...