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Argentina- legislative elections

Centre-left loses Congress majority

Article published on the 2009-06-29 Latest update 2009-06-29 14:47 TU

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner after voting in the elections, Rio Gallegos, June 28, 2009. (Photo: Reuters)

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner after voting in the elections, Rio Gallegos, June 28, 2009.
(Photo: Reuters)

Argentina’s ruling centre-left coalition, led by president Cristina Kirchner, lost its majority in Congress in legislative elections on Sunday. Results are in from over three-quarters of the ballots and show that the ruling coalition has lost four seats in the Senate and control of the 72-member Chamber of Deputies.

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Kirchner’s centre-left coalition suffered heavy losses in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Cordoba and Mendoza.

Even the president's husband Nestor Kirchner, a former head of state, lost his race in Buenos Aires province, where he was seeking a seat in the Chamber of Deputies. He was defeated by Peronist entrepreneur Francisco de Narvaez.

Presidential allies also lost in the southern province of Santa Cruz, where the Kirchners began their political careers.

About 70 percent of the electorate is aligned with the opposition, and some 30 percent within this group are registered with the Peronist Party.

The opposition is split between right-leaning Peronists who have distanced themselves from the Kirchners, Social Democrats, Socialists and minority and leftist parties.