HOW WILL CONGRESS BE INTEGRATED AFTER THE ELECTIONS
The presidential elections of October 27, 2019 left a political scenario of high polarization in Congress. After the triumph of President-elect Alberto Fernández, the Frente de Todos got the majority in the Senate, but the panorama in the lower house (Chamber of Deputies) is more complicated for the next ruling party: the now opposition party, Together for Change, will be the first minority with a number of seats very close to its own quorum.
A total of 130 deputies and 24 new senators were elected, who will enter the Congress on December 10, with several seat renovations and some lost places for certain political spaces.
Chamber of Deputies
The Front of All list got 64 seats. Thus, as of the new period, it will have 114 deputies in total, although it would reach 123 as an inter-block if other provincial allied forces are taken into account.
Juntos para el Cambio won 56 seats and will have now a total of 119 deputies, 9 more than it currently has (6 are from PRO, 2 from the UCR and 1 from the Civic Coalition). Thus, if there are no breaks within the block, Juntos para el Cambio will be the first minority, close to the 129 needed to have their own quorum.
The extreme polarization that the Chamber will have is reflected in the numbers: of 130 benches that were contested in these elections for the period 2019-2023, only 9 belong to spaces outside the Front of All and Together for Change. Of these, 3 are from the Federal Consensus; 3 others from the Santiago del Estero Civic Front and one for the Renewal Front of Misiones. Hacemos for Córdoba and Juntos Somos Río Negro entered one each.
With these results, the lower house will be made up of 123 deputies from the Front of All inter-block; 119 of Together for Change; 7 of the Federal Consensus and 2 of the Left Front. The provincial government of Córdoba will have four deputies and the Neuquén and Río Negro, one each.
The Senate
A third of the Upper House was renewed, by the provinces of Chaco, Entre Ríos, Neuquén, Río Negro, Salta, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego and the City of Buenos Aires. Only six of the benches renovated until 2025 do not belong to the Frente de Todos or Juntos por el Cambio.
The Front of All obtained 13 senators and, thus, the justicialismo could obtain its own quorum: as of December, it will have 37 seats, exactly half plus one, if all those who supported the winning force are grouped in a single block. It remains to be seen if this will be reflected in the alliances. In addition, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner will go on to preside over the Senate by assuming the Vice Presidency of the Nation.
Together for Change secured the first minority by adding five new legislators, and will have 30 senators since December.
The results of the elections are therefore encouraging for many analysts as it provides some balance of power.