General elections are scheduled to be held in Argentina on 22 October 2023, to elect the president, vice president, members of the national congress and the governors of most provinces.

Incumbent president Alberto Fernández and incumbent vice president and former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, despite both being eligible for a second, consecutive term, will not seek reelection.

Background

In the 2019 general election, the Peronist, left-wing Frente de Todos ticket of Alberto Fernández, former Chief Cabinet, and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, National Senator and former president, defeated the center-right Juntos por el Cambio ticket of incumbent president Mauricio Macri and conservative Peronist National Senator Miguel Ángel Pichetto, exceeding the threshold to win the presidency in a single round. Macri became the first incumbent president in Argentine history to be defeated for reelection.

The first two years of the Fernández presidency was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, during which he imposed strict lockdown measures to suppress the spread of the disease, and a debt crisis inherited from his predecessor. While the economy did recover in 2021–22, inflation rose to 100% (the highest since 1991). His approval ratings have been constantly low throughout his presidency, only in few certain occasions over 50% approval rate, with disapproval ratings from 60% to 80%. According to British newspaper The Economist, Fernández is considered "a president without a plan", and his presidency to be a "weak administration", alluding to his lack of independent decision-making. Instead, his decisions are under heavy influence of Vice President and former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, also leader of the coalition, whom Fernández himself described as a "permanent source of consultation." The 2021 midterm elections resulted in heavy losses for the Frente de Todos, which lost its majority in both houses of Congress. Observers attributed the loss to the widespread anger over high inflation and rising poverty.

In April 2023, Fernández announced that he had decided to not seek reelection to the presidency in the 2023 general election. Others who refused to run were incumbent vice president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (who served as president between 2007 and 2015), and former president Mauricio Macri, who succeeded Fernández de Kirchner and preceded Fernández. Controversial constitutional amendments in Jujuy -a province governed by Gerardo Morales, who ran as vice president alongside Horacio Rodriguez Larreta- led to protests beginning in June where demonstrators stormed the Jujuy legislature.

Electoral system
The election of the president will be conducted under the ballotage system, a modified version of the two-round system. A candidate can win the presidency in a single round by either winning over 45% of the vote, or if they win 40% of the vote while finishing more than 10 percentage points ahead of the second-place candidate. If no candidate meets either threshold, a runoff takes place between the top two candidates. Voting is compulsory for citizens between 18 and 70 years old. Suffrage is also extended to 16- and 17-year-olds, though without compulsory voting.

Congress

Chamber of Deputies 
The 257 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected by proportional representation in 24 multi-member constituencies based on the provinces (plus the City of Buenos Aires). Seats are allocated using the d'Hondt method with a 3% electoral threshold. In this election, 130 of the 257 seats are up for renewal for a four-year term.

Senate 
The 72 members of the Senate are elected in the same 24 constituencies, with three seats in each. The party receiving the most votes in each constituency wins two seats, with the third seat awarded to the second-placed party. The 2023 elections will see one-third of Senators renewed, with eight provinces electing three Senators for a 6-year term; Buenos Aires, Formosa, Jujuy, La Rioja, Misiones, San Juan, San Luis, and Santa Cruz.

Presidential candidates

The following candidates participated in the Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory Primaries (PASO), which were held on 13 August 2023. The primaries determined the candidates of each coalition. Coalitions who received less than 1.5% of the votes will not be able to participate in the general election on 22 October.

Opinion polls

Presidential election

Results

Primary elections

President

Chamber of Deputies

References

Argentina
General
Elections in Argentina
Presidential elections in Argentina