Argentines Vote for Presidential Nominees in Primaries
by Andrea Miranda
Argentines voted in the open primary election Aug. 9 to decide the presidential nominee of each major party.
The winners will compete in the general elections in October to succeed President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who has been in office since 2007.
Kirchner is constitutionally forbidden from running for a third consecutive term, but she seems to be trying to retain power from behind the scenes.
Polls closed the night of Aug. 9 and the results are expected to be announced soon.
Who is Kirchner and what makes her so popular?
The 62-year-old president is the leader of the Front for Victory (FPV) party, which her late husband and predecessor, Néstor Kirchner, founded just before the 2003 elections.
Although she is constitutionally not allowed to run for reelection this year, she will be able to in 2019. Before her husband’s death in 2010, the couple had planned to stay in power indefinitely by swapping places each term.
The Kirchners’ popularity declined between 2007 and 2010, and they lost the 2009 midterm elections. But after Nestor’s death, Cristina’s popularity increased and she won the 2011 elections with 54 percent of the votes.
The populist political movement stemming from the power of the Kirchners — Kirchnerism — has been responsible for social benefits like broadening access to healthcare and education. However, Argentina also experienced a massive inflation and shrinking economy during Kirchner’s eight-year rule.
Who are the main contenders?
This year, voters are focused on foreign, economic and social policies.
The election in Argentina divides the supporters of the “national and popular model” — as Kirchner called it — and those who want a change in the country’s direction. The candidates on either sides of the arena are FPV Gov. Daniel Scioli of the Buenos Aires province and Mauricio Macri, leader of the center-right Republican Proposal party.
Scioli served as vice president under Nestor Kirchner, and announced his run for president last year. In order to gain Cristina Kirchner’s endorsement, Scioli flipped his economic policy from a business-friendly position to a state-driven one. He also added to his platform the creation of a human rights ministry, a topic his opponents have not yet addressed.
Macri is currently mayor of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital. He is running on a platform of changing the Kirchneristic direction of the country. Some of his major policy positions include a less restricted economy; lifting controls over private life, information and domestic economy; eliminating restrictions on currency exchanges; and delegating more power to ministers.
Why do people think Kirchner will continue to wield power after she steps down?
Although not directly, Cristina would wield power through the Congress. Her party’s list of congressional candidates is comprised of politicians from La Cámpora, which was founded by her son, Máximo Kirchner. That list includes Cristina Kirchner’s minister of economy and chief of staff. Máximo Kirchner also is running for a seat in Congress.
If Scioli wins, he will owe it to Cristina and her popularity. His current agenda is seen as a continuation of Kirchnerism — focus on social issues and a government-controlled economy.
What is the expected foreign policy of the new president?
No matter the outcome of the election, voters expect that the new president will shift Argentina’s foreign policy direction. Kirchner’s foreign strategies isolated the country in many ways, especially by closing its economic frontiers.
Voters hope the new leadership will move away from protectionist economic policies, reestablish relations with the U.S. and Europe, review agreements with Russia and China and favor policies that are pro-Mercosur, a sub-regional bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Brief contributed by Andrea Miranda
More Information:
- Buenos Aires Herald: Rights on the electoral agenda
- New York Times: Some fear departing president has no real plans of leaving
