Argentina To Hold Parliamentary Primary Elections on Sept. 12

On Sept. 12, Argentina will hold the Parliamentary Primary Elections (PASO) to define the candidates for the Nov. 14 elections, in which 127 lawmakers and 24 senators will be elected.

RELATED: 

Argentina Rejects Chilean Decree That Modifies Maritime Limits

While the pro-government lawmakers will seek to revalidate their majority position in the Senate, the opposition coalition Together for Change (TFC) will try to gain more seats in the Lower House to be better positioned for the 2023 presidential elections.

According to data from the D'Alessio IROL and Berensztein consultant companies, the approval of President Alberto Fernandez’s administration has remained at around 41 percent for the last months, after having reached a 60 percent increase in May 2020.

In this context, the pro-government coalition Front of All (FT) will run for the PASO with unique candidate lists in most districts while the TFC coalition will decide on candidacies among several internal lists in most provinces. In Buenos Aires City, for instance, the opposition parties Radical Civic Union (RCU) and Republican Proposal (PRO) will each have their list of candidates.

Citizens between 18 and 70 years of age and all parties are required to participate in PASO, which this year will be held amidst a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Sept. 3, this South American country had reported 5 million coronavirus cases and 112,195 related deaths, 190 of which occurred in the last 24 hours.

The National Electoral Directorate (DINE) set a health protocol that must be respected in 101,457 polling stations. It defines mandatory measures such as the use of masks and alcohol gel, the maintenance of two-meter distance between voters, and the sanitization of surfaces, doorknobs, floors, and bathrooms.

If the size of the precincts does not allow the voter to keep a distance of 2 meters from other citizens, the voter must wait outside the precinct. Voters should bring their own pen and should not seal the envelopes where they cast their vote with saliva.