Peronists Win Majority in the Buenos Aires Province Senate

BUENOS AIRES – With a decisive victory in Sunday's legislative elections, the Peronist party secured a majority in the Senate of the Province of Buenos Aires, which will facilitate provincial Governor Axel Kicillof's efforts to advance his government's projects.

The Peronist front, Fuerza Patria, delivered a significant blow to the coalition of La Libertad Avanza and Propuesta Republicana (LLA-PRO), defeating them at the polls 47.3 percent to 33.7 percent. Furthermore, it conquered over 100 of the 135 municipalities and six of the eight electoral sections into which the province is divided.

The Peronist candidates triumphed across all ballots: for provincial senators (44.9% to 37%), winning 13 seats to LLA-PRO's eight; for provincial deputies (49.5% to 30.5%), obtaining 21 seats to their main rival's 18; and for Municipal Councils (45.5% to 31.2%).

These 13 new senatorial seats, plus the 11 they already hold until 2027, give them a total of 24—a simple majority that provides the quorum needed to open debates in the upper chamber after several years of legislative difficulty. LLA-PRO will hold 16 seats, and the remaining two belong to the group Somos Buenos Aires.

In the Provincial Chamber of Deputies, Fuerza Patria added 21 new seats, and with a total of 39 of its own, it is now the first minority.

The LLA-PRO alliance secured 18 new seats, giving it a bloc of 31 deputies. Other forces that will have representatives in the Legislature in La Plata are Somos Buenos Aires, with two; the Left and Workers' Front (FIT), with two; and the group Hechos, with three.

The so-called center blocs, the Radical Civic Union (UCR) and Civic Coalition (CC), will be represented by seven legislators. The libertarians of Unión y Libertad hold five seats with terms until 2027, Unión Renovación y Fe holds three, and Derecha Popular holds one.

The importance of Sunday's election lies in the fact that the Province of Buenos Aires is the largest electoral district in Argentina, comprising almost 40 percent of the entire national voter registry. Its results carry significant weight in the national political landscape.

The next elections in this mid-term legislative year will take place on October 26, when polls open across the country to renew the National Congress.