Promoted by the administration of Javier Mileithe BUP initiative took as a model the system that prevails in Mendoza since 2022 and which debuted last year in the various elections that took place in the Cuyo jurisdiction, the corollary of which was the victory of Alfredo Cornejo and his return to the first local magistracy.
Now, with the adoption of the modality at the federal level, The ball is in the court of the provincial leaders, who must decide whether to adapt their electoral systems to the new legislation or if, on the contrary, they continue with the old ballot or promote other formats, like electronic voting.
Single Ballot: focus on the Province of Buenos Aires
In this scenario, attention is placed on the province of Buenos Aires, one of the few districts that did not split their election and that last year elected governor on the same day in which President was also voted (the other two were Entre Ríos and Catamarca). With more than 13 million qualified voters, the Buenos Aires territory brings together 37% of the national registry and is a true platform for candidates.
Sources from across the political spectrum consulted by Scope They agreed that the focus, from now on, is to see what determination the administration of Axel Kicillof. “The big underlying fight is the Province of Buenos Aires; that traditional Peronism cannot do the famous chain vote for the national one. If the governor’s is the same as the President’s, you can win the province. I think that’s the big bet,” They evaluated from the orbit of a yellow leader.
Following that path, a PRO legislator pointed out that the large interior provinces always double down and that the implementation of the Single Ballot will help others think about following that path. “In PBA it is the ideal excuse to split,” he said. ““The problem now is in Buenos Aires, because with this system they can do it simultaneously, but there will be two ballots: one provincial and one national,” a northern legislator added in dialogue with this medium.
In Kicillof’s management they did not close the door to any possibility, although they did mark their reservations. “We are analyzing the variables with the Provincial team and the entire political force. The truth is that the next election is going to be chaos and it is incomprehensible that they have broken a system that worked,” La Plata sources explained. At the same time, they denounced: “It is not healthy to change the electoral system, but they have already broken it at the national level, so we must build the provincial system as sustainable as possible.”
Currently, there are at least two Single Ballot projects in the Buenos Aires Legislature. One of them was presented by Senator Marcelo Daletto (UCR – Federal Exchange) along with Juan Pablo Allan (PRO). Another, meanwhile, is the work of the president of the provincial block of Deputies UCR – Cambio Federal, Diego Garciarenanext to Agustín Forchieri (PRO) and Maricel Etchecoin Moro (Civic Coalition). After approval in Congress, Garciarena celebrated the implementation of the BUP at the national level and said that “now it is up to the Province.” “The option is clear: either we continue with clientelism or we modernize the electoral system,” He added in a message on his social networks.
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Within the opposition camp they stuck out their chests and realized that they had already started efforts for the texts to take parliamentary status. In their favor, the Political Reform and State commissions of both chambers are in the hands of leaders of the space that promotes the initiatives: Emiliano Balbin by Deputies and Nerina Neumann by the Senate. However, they tied their fate to the will of Unión por la Patria (UP) to debate them on the premises.
However, and beyond what happens in the district, the change of modality at the national level will have a concrete impact on PBA, since next year national deputies will be voted with the BUP and legislators and councilors in a separate ballot box, with the old system. This will break with the traditional “sheet list”.
“It is something historic. PBA was always the only province tied to the Nation. What happened with this is that it became detached from the Nation; it is a split on the same day, but with a different electoral system. Even if you make the single ballot in the PBA, The ballots cannot go together: they have to go separately,” commented to Scope a Buenos Aires leader.
The source recalled that, except in 2003, when Felipe Solá won in a separate election, “in PBA they always voted on a plain ballot” and that now “for the first time they are going to vote on different things, which invites them to put together proposals different electoral”. “The election is already separate no matter what is done,” he recorded.
The new scheme blocks the dragging of weight figures. For this reason, in Peronism they reflected on the meaning that an eventual candidacy of Cristina Kirchnerwho deepened his public appearances and is beginning to show signs in that sense.
Anyway, The paradox is that La Libertad Avanza (LLA) could be affected in the Buenos Aires territory, since its leaders still do not have a high level of knowledge. This aspect represents a major challenge for a young force, which seeks to strengthen its armed forces in the territories. At the same time, its legislators would be in an uncomfortable situation if they voted against the BUP projects in the Province, since the LLA promoted the approval of the national law.
Corrientes and Santiago del Estero will renew governors
In addition to legislative elections, in which 24 senators and 127 national deputies will be elected, in 2025 two provinces will change their governors: Corrientes and Santiago del Esteroboth out of date with the calendar as a consequence of the federal interventions they suffered in the past.
In neither case do the current leaders, Gustavo Valdés (Together for Change) and Gerardo Zamora (Union for the Homeland) respectively, They will have the possibility of re-election, so, whoever wins, the elections will inaugurate a new era in those districts.
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Argentine News
In the case of Corrientes, the next provincial head will be elected separately from the national vote – as established by its Constitution -, through the traditional list system. When consulted by this media, government sources ruled out applying the BUP for the election of local officials since “there is no time.” “The unknown is for the provinces that elect a governor in 2027 and that still do not have a Single Ballot. What are they going to do?”they trusted from the coastal jurisdiction.
A similar scenario will be experienced in the Santiago arena, where the dance of names begins to replace the seasoned Zamora. Paying attention to the new law, the BUP will be implemented to renew its three seats in the national Senate and another three in the Chamber of Deputies. If there are no changes, the election for governor will be carried out with the traditional sheet system, as well as for other local positions, such as mayors and commissioners. It remains to be seen if the day will include both systems, with separate ballot boxes, or if the date will finally be split.
Source: Ambito
