General elections were held in Argentina on 22 October 2023 to elect the president, vice president, members of the National Congress, and the governors of most provinces. As no presidential candidate won a majority in the first round, a run-off was held on 19 November, in which Buenos Aires Deputy Javier Milei defeated Economy Minister Sergio Massa by 11% of the votes, to become President of Argentina. Incumbent president Alberto Fernández and incumbent vice president and former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, despite both being eligible for a second, consecutive term, did not seek re-election.
Advancing to the run-off, Massa of the ruling centre-left Union for the Homeland unexpectedly came in first place, winning 36% of the vote, against Milei of the right-wing Liberty Advances, who came in second place, with 30% of the vote. Massa's victory in the first round was seen as an upset because of the severe inflation that took place during Massa's tenure as economy minister, as well as Milei's lead in polls up to that point. In the run-off, Milei defeated Massa with 56% of the vote, the highest percentage of the vote since Argentina's transition to democracy. Milei received over 14 million votes, which was the highest-ever vote total in Argentina's history. In a surprise reversal of the first round, Milei outperformed polls, which had been predicting a much closer race. Massa conceded defeat shortly before the official results were published. Milei was inaugurated on 10 December.
Observers generally saw Milei's win as a sign more of discontent with the status quo than support for his politics, and his victory was likened to that of Donald Trump's 2016 victory in the United States and Jair Bolsonaro's 2018 victory in Brazil. Milei expressed support and admiration for both figures, and endorsed Trump in the 2024 United States presidential election.
Background
In the 2019 general election, the Peronist, left-wing Frente de Todos ticket of Alberto Fernández, former Cabinet Chief, 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 were limited by the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, during which he imposed strict lockdown measures in an attempt to suppress the spread of the disease, and a debt crisis. While the economy did recover in 2021–22, inflation rose to 100% (the highest since 1991). His approval ratings were low throughout his presidency, rarely cresting 50%, while disapproval ranged from 60% to 80%. In 2020, The Economist declared him "a president without a plan", and his presidency a "weak administration", alluding to his lack of independent decision-making and the admitted influence on him of Vice President and former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. 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 widespread anger over high inflation and rising poverty.
In April 2023, Fernández announced that he had decided not to 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 a precandidate for vice president alongside Horacio Rodriguez Larreta– led to protests beginning in June where demonstrators stormed the Jujuy legislature.
The 2023 election was held amid a severe economic crisis with over 140% inflation and 40% poverty which observers said would negatively affect the ruling party's chance for another term.
Debates 2023 Argentine presidential debates Date Time Organizers Location Present Invitee Non-invitee FR–UPPL–LLAPRO–JxCPJ–HNPPTS–FIT–URefs 1 hour and 48 min. Televisión Pública Santiago del Estero Forum, Santiago del Estero CityPSergio MassaPJavier MileiPPatricia BullrichPJuan SchiarettiPMyriam Bregman 1 hour and 41 min. Faculty of Law, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires City 1 hour and 58 min.
2023 Argentine vice presidential debates Date Time Organizer Location Present Invitee Non-invitee PJ–UPPD–LLAUCR–JxCHACER–HNPPTS–FIT–URefs 1 hour and 46 min. Todo Noticias Todo Noticias headquarters, Buenos Aires CityPAgustín RossiPVictoria VillarruelPLuis PetriPFlorencio RandazzoPNicolas del Caño 1 hour and 17 min.
Electoral system
President The election of the president is 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.Chamber of Deputies: Electoral system IPU Suffrage is also extended to 16- and 17-year-olds, though without compulsory voting.Voto de los Jóvenes de 16 y 17 años0 Camara Nacional Electoral Both in the primaries and in the first and second rounds polls opened at 08:00 and closed at 18:00 (UTC −3), with vote results starting to show at around 21:00.
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 were up for renewal for a four-year term.
Province Totalseats Seatsat stake Buenos Aires 70 35 Buenos Aires City 25 12 Catamarca 5 2 Chaco 7 3 Chubut 5 3 Córdoba 18 9 Corrientes 7 4 Entre Ríos 9 4 Formosa 5 3 Jujuy 6 3 La Pampa 5 2 La Rioja 5 3 Mendoza 10 5 Misiones 7 4 Neuquén 5 2 Río Negro 5 3 Salta 7 4 San Juan 6 3 San Luis 5 2 Santa Cruz 5 2 Santa Fe 19 10 Santiago del Estero 7 4 Tierra del Fuego 5 3 Tucumán 9 5 Total 257 130
Outgoing deputies Province Deputy Party Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires PRO Buenos Aires UCR Buenos Aires UCR Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Bonaerense Identity Buenos Aires PRO Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Civic Coalition Buenos Aires Federal Encounter Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires PRO Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires PRO Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires PRO Buenos Aires PRO Buenos Aires Bonaerense Identity Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Civic Coalition Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires PRO Buenos Aires PRO Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires City Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires City Civic Coalition Buenos Aires City PRO Buenos Aires City Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires City Radical Evolution Buenos Aires City PRO Buenos Aires City Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires City PRO Buenos Aires City PRO Buenos Aires City Unión por la Patria Buenos Aires City Radical Evolution Buenos Aires City Civic Coalition Catamarca Unión por la Patria Catamarca Civic Coalition Chaco Radical Evolution Chaco Unión por la Patria Chaco Unión por la Patria Chubut Unión por la Patria Chubut Unión por la Patria Chubut PRO Córdoba PRO Córdoba Unión por la Patria Córdoba Unión por la Patria Córdoba Federal Córdoba Córdoba UCR Córdoba Civic Coalition Córdoba UCR Córdoba UCR Córdoba PRO Corrientes Unión por la Patria Corrientes PRO Corrientes Unión por la Patria Corrientes UCR Entre Ríos Unión por la Patria Entre Ríos PRO Entre Ríos UCR Entre Ríos Unión por la Patria Formosa UCR Formosa Unión por la Patria Formosa Unión por la Patria Jujuy Unión por la Patria Jujuy Unión por la Patria Jujuy UCR La Pampa UCR La Pampa Unión por la Patria La Rioja Unión por la Patria La Rioja SER – We Are Energy to Renovate Mendoza PRO Mendoza UCR Mendoza UCR Mendoza Unión por la Patria Mendoza Unión por la Patria Misiones Unión por la Patria Misiones Unión por la Patria Misiones Misiones Front for Concord Misiones PRO Neuquén Unión por la Patria Neuquén PRO Neuquén Unión por la Patria Río Negro Together We Are Río Negro Río Negro Unión por la Patria Salta Unión por la Patria Salta PRO Salta Unión por la Patria Salta UCR San Juan Unión por la Patria San Juan Unión por la Patria San Juan Production and Labour San Luis Radical Evolution San Luis Unión por la Patria Santa Cruz Unión por la Patria Santa Cruz Unión por la Patria Santa Fe PRO Santa Fe Civic Coalition Santa Fe Unión por la Patria Santa Fe Socialist Party Santa Fe UCR Santa Fe UCR Santa Fe Unión por la Patria Santa Fe Unión por la Patria Santa Fe PRO Santa Fe Unión por la Patria Santiago del Estero Unión por la Patria Santiago del Estero Unión por la Patria Santiago del Estero Unión por la Patria Santiago del Estero Unión por la Patria Tierra del Fuego Unión por la Patria Tierra del Fuego Unión por la Patria Tierra del Fuego PRO Tucumán Federal Encounter Tucumán UCR Tucumán Unión por la Patria Tucumán Unión por la Patria Tucumán Unión por la Patria
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.
Outgoing senators Province Senator Party Buenos Aires PRO Buenos Aires PRO Buenos Aires Unión por la Patria Formosa Unión por la Patria Formosa Unión por la Patria Formosa Unión por la Patria Jujuy Radical Civic Union Jujuy Radical Civic Union Jujuy Unión por la Patria La Rioja Unión por la Patria La Rioja Radical Civic Union La Rioja We Have a Future Argentina Misiones Unión por la Patria Misiones PRO Misiones Misiones San Juan Production and Labour San Juan Unión por la Patria San Juan Unión por la Patria San Luis Unión por la Patria San Luis PRO San Luis Unión por la Patria Santa Cruz Radical Civic Union Santa Cruz Unión por la Patria Santa Cruz Radical Civic Union
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.
Advanced to runoff election NamePrior experiencePartyVice President CoalitionRef Sergio Massab. 1972 Minister of Economy (2022–2023) Renewal FrontCabinet ChiefAgustín Rossi(PJ) Union for the Homeland Javier Mileib. 1970 National Deputy from the City of Buenos Aires (2021–2023) Libertarian PartyNational DeputyVictoria Villarruel(PD) Liberty Advances
Defeated in the first round