General elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

were held in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

on 22 October 2023 to elect the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

, members of the

National Congress National Congress is a term used in the names of various political parties and legislatures. Political parties *Ethiopia: Oromo National Congress, original name of the Oromo People's Congress *Guyana: People's National Congress Reform *India: **In ...

, and the governors of most

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

. As no presidential candidate won a

majority A majority is more than half of a total; however, the term is commonly used with other meanings, as explained in the "#Related terms, Related terms" section below. It is a subset of a Set (mathematics), set consisting of more than half of the se ...

in the first round, a runoff was held on 19 November, in which Buenos Aires Deputy

Javier Milei Javier Gerardo Milei (born 22 October 1970) is an Argentine politician and economist who has served as President of Argentina since 2023. Milei also served as a national deputy representing the City of Buenos Aires for the party La Libertad ...

defeated Economy Minister

Sergio Massa Sergio Tomás Massa (; born 28 April 1972) is an Argentine politician and lawyer who served as Minister of Economy from 2022 to 2023. From 2019 to 2022, he was the National Deputy for the centre-left coalition Frente de Todos, elected in Buenos ...

by 11% of the votes, to become President of Argentina. Incumbent president

Alberto Fernández Alberto Ángel Fernández (; born 2 April 1959) is an Argentine politician, lawyer, and academic who served as President of Argentina from 2019 to 2023. He was also the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers from 2003 to 2008. His tenure as Cabin ...

and incumbent vice president and former president

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner (; born 19 February 1953), often referred to by her initials CFK, is an Argentine lawyer and former politician who served as the 56th president of Argentina from 2007 to 2015, and later as the 37th Vice ...

, despite both being eligible for a second, consecutive term, did not seek re-election. Advancing to the runoff, Massa of the ruling centre-left

Union for the Homeland The Union for the Homeland (, UP) is a centre-left political and electoral coalition of Peronist political parties in Argentina. It has been the main opposition coalition since December 2023. The coalition was formed to compete in the 2023 gen ...

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 runoff 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 Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's 2016 victory in the United States and

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...

's 2018 victory in Brazil. Milei expressed support and admiration for both figures and endorsed Trump in the

2024 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...

Background

In the 2019 general election, the

Peronist Peronism, also known as justicialism, is an Argentine ideology and movement based on the ideas, doctrine and legacy of Juan Perón (1895–1974). It has been an influential movement in 20th- and 21st-century Argentine politics. Since 1946, Pe ...

, left-wing

Frente de Todos The Frente de Todos (translated as "Everyone's Front") was a centre-left political coalition of political parties in Argentina formed to support President Alberto Fernández and Vice President Cristina Kirchner. Fernández won the 2019 gen ...

ticket of

, former Cabinet Chief, and

, National Senator and former president, defeated the center-right

Juntos por el Cambio (JxC, ) was a political coalition in Argentina. A liberal coalition, it was created in 2015 as Cambiemos (), and renamed in 2019. It was composed of Republican Proposal, Radical Civic Union, Civic Coalition ARI and United Republicans. These ...

ticket of incumbent president

Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previously ...

and conservative Peronist National Senator

Miguel Ángel Pichetto Miguel Ángel Pichetto (born 24 October 1950) is an Argentine lawyer and Federal Peronism, conservative Peronist politician. He is Auditor General of the Nation. He was Argentine Senate, National Senator for Río Negro Province for eighteen years ...

, 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 The COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , a total of people were confirmed to have been infected, and people were ...

, during which he imposed strict

lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

measures in an attempt to suppress the spread of the disease, and a

debt crisis Debt crisis is a situation in which a government (nation, state/province, county, or city etc.) loses the ability of paying back its governmental debt. When the expenditures of a government are more than its tax revenues for a prolonged period, ...

. While the economy did recover in 2021–22, inflation rose to 100% (the highest since 1991). His approval ratings have been consistently low throughout his presidency, only on a few occasions has his approval rating been over 50%, with disapproval ratings from 60% to 80%. According to British newspaper ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'', Fernández is "a president without a plan", and his presidency is a "weak administration", alluding to his lack of independent decision-making and under the heavy influence of Vice President and former President

, also the leader of the coalition, whom Fernández himself described as a "permanent source of consultation." 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

(who served as president between 2007 and 2015), and former president

, 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 Horacio \ho-ra-cio\, a masculine given name, is a variant of Horace. The given name Horacio is found sporadically throughout all of Latin America. Horacio is a boy's name with Latin origins said to mean 'timekeeper'. The Portuguese spelling is Hor� ...

– 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

Electoral system

Boletas electorales para las elecciones presidenciales de Argentina de 2023

President

The election of the president is conducted under the ballotage system, a modified version of the

two-round system The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...

. 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 A percentage point or percent point is the unit (measurement), unit for the difference (mathematics), arithmetic difference between two percentages. For example, moving up from 40 percent to 44 percent is an increase of 4 percentage points (altho ...

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 Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

is also extended to 16- and 17-year-olds, though without compulsory voting. 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 The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

are elected by proportional representation in 24 multi-member constituencies based on the

(plus the

City of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

). Seats are allocated using the

d'Hondt method The D'Hondt method, also called the Jefferson method or the greatest divisors method, is an apportionment method for allocating seats in parliaments among federal states, or in proportional representation among political parties. It belongs to ...

with a 3% electoral threshold. In this election, 130 of the 257 seats were up for renewal for a four-year term.

Senate

The 72 members of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

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 Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The island of Taiwan, formerly known to Westerners as Formosa, has an area of and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about across the Taiwan Strait f ...

Jujuy San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies near ...

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...

Misiones Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes P ...

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, San Luis, and Santa Cruz.

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

Defeated in the first round

Defeated in a winning coalition in the primary elections

Defeated in the primary elections

Opinion polls

Presidential election

First round

Second round

Results

Primary elections

President

Results by province, first round

Results by province, second round

Chamber of Deputies

Results by province

Senate

Results by province

Mercosur Parliament

Reactions

Domestic

Milei defeated Massa in the runoff what was described as a historic election in Argentina. Milei in his victory speech vowed to begin "the reconstruction of Argentina" and end the country's economic decline. His prospective foreign minister Diana Mondino also announced Argentina would pause their accession to

BRICS BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The idea of a BRICS-like group can be traced back to Russian foreign ...

. Massa conceded and announced his retirement from politics after the runoff election results showed that he had lost by roughly 11 percentage points. Incumbent and retiring president

congratulated Milei: "I am a man of democracy, and I value nothing more than the popular verdict. I trust that tomorrow we can start working with Javier Milei to guarantee an orderly transition." Former president

, who had endorsed Milei in the runoff, said: "I congratulate Javier Milei for bravely representing the will to advance and prosper that lives in the hearts of Argentines. He knew how to listen to the voice of young people and the fatigue of millions of neglected and impoverished people."

International

: Bolivian president

Luis Arce Luis Alberto Arce Catacora (; born 28 September 1963), often referred to as Lucho, is a Bolivian banker, economist, and politician serving as the 67th president of Bolivia since 2020. A member of the Movement for Socialism (Bolivia), Movement fo ...

wished success to Javier Milei and said that he would work hard to keep "firm relations" with Argentina. On the other hand, former president

Evo Morales Juan Evo Morales Ayma (; born 26 October 1959) is a Bolivian politician, trade union organizer, and former cocalero activist who served as the 65th president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. Widely regarded as the country's first president to come ...

said that he would never wish success to " ilei'sfascism, far-right and neoliberalism, who supports the Zionist genocide and Yankee imperialism." : Brazilian president

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...

congratulated Milei without mentioning his name, saying: "Democracy is the voice of the people, and it must always be respected. My congratulations to Argentine institutions for conducting the electoral process and to the Argentine people who participated on election day in an orderly and peaceful manner. I wish the new government good luck and success." Former president

congratulated Milei saying: "Congratulations to the Argentine people for Javier Milei's victory. Hope will shine again in South America. May these good winds reach the United States and Brazil so that honesty, progress and freedom come back to all of us." : Chilean president

Gabriel Boric Gabriel Boric Font (; born 11 February 1986) is a Chilean politician and the President of Chile since 2022. He previously served two four-year terms as a deputy in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Chamber of Deputies. Boric first gained prom ...

congratulated Milei saying: "I salute Javier Milei for his victory and Sergio Massa for his worthy recognition of defeat. I wish the Argentine people the best and know that they will always have our respect and support. As president of Chile, I will work tirelessly to keep our sister nations united and collaborating for the well-being of all." : Chinese president

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

congratulated Milei saying: "I am ready to work with President-elect Milei to continue the China-Argentina friendship, help the development and revitalisation of our respective countries through win-win cooperation, and promote steady and far-reaching development of China-Argentina relations." Milei thanked Xi for his congratulations, replying "I thank President Xi Jinping for the congratulations and good wishes. I send him my most sincere wishes for the Chinese people's wellbeing." : Colombian president

Gustavo Petro Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (; born 19 April 1960) is a Colombian politician who is the 34th and current president of Colombia since 2022. Upon inauguration, he became the Pink tide, first left-wing president in the History of Colombia, recen ...

lamented Milei's win, which was mocked by El Salvador president

Nayib Bukele Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez (; born 24 July 1981) is a Salvadoran politician and businessman who has served as the 81st president of El Salvador since 2019. In 1999, Bukele established an advertising company and worked at an advertising com ...

. :

Charles Michel Charles Michel (; born 21 December 1975) is a Belgian politician who served as the president of the European Council from 2019 to 2024. He previously served as the Prime Minister of Belgium, prime minister of Belgium between 2014 and 2019. Miche ...

, the

president of the European Council The president of the European Council is the person presiding over and driving forward the work of the European Council on the world stage. This Institutions of the European Union, institution comprises the college of heads of state or governme ...

, congratulated Milei saying: "Congratulations to Argentina's new president-elect Javier Milei for his victory. The people of Argentina have spoken in free and democratic elections." Ilan Goldfajn, the president of the

Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...

, congratulated Milei saying: "Congratulations Javier Milei, president-elect of Argentina. At the IDB, we are ready to continue our collaboration with the country and promote sustainable and inclusive economic development for the benefit of its citizens." : Indian prime minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

congratulated Milei saying: "Congratulations for the victory in the Presidential elections. Look forward to working closely with you to diversify and expand India-Argentina strategic partnership." : Mexican president

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican former politician, political scientist, public administrator and writer who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. He se ...

called Argentina's election of Milei an "

own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...

". : Paraguayan president

Santiago Peña Santiago Peña Palacios (; born 16 November 1978) is a Paraguayan politician and economist who is the 52nd and current president of Paraguay since 2023. In addition to his political career, Peña has served on leadership boards for the Central ...

congratulated Milei saying: "I congratulate Javier Milei for his victory and I offer Paraguay's cordial and brotherly hand to strengthen relations between our countries." : Peruvian president

Dina Boluarte Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra (; born 31 May 1962) is a Peruvian politician, civil servant, and lawyer who has been serving as the 64th president of Peru since 2022. She had served as the Vice President of Peru, first vice president and minister ...

congratulated Milei saying: "Peru expresses its warm congratulations to Javier Milei for his election as president of the Argentine Republic. Wishing him the greatest success in his administration, Peru renews its commitment to continue strengthening the historic ties of friendship and cooperation that unite our countries." : Russian president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

congratulated Milei, despite the latter support for Ukraine in the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

. Putin's press secretary

Dmitry Peskov Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov (, ; born 17 October 1967) is a Russian diplomat serving as the Kremlin Press Secretary, spokesman for President of Russia, Russian president Vladimir Putin since 2012.Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

congratulated Milei on his victory and thanked him for his clear stance of support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy further stated that he looked forward to working together with Milei to strengthen Ukrainian-Argentinian cooperation and restore international order based on international law. Zelenskyy and Milei held a phone call where they discussed cultivating relations and Ukraine's war against Russia. : U.S president

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

congratulated Milei and held a phone call with him, where Biden said that Argentina can count with US support. Milei told Biden that he would align with the US and Israel, while repeatedly saying that he would cool relations with China.

Antony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 71st United States secretary of state from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor, deputy national security advisor ...

, the United States Secretary of State, congratulated Milei saying: "The United States congratulates Argentine President-elect Javier Milei on his victory in today's election, and we applaud the robust democratic process through which the Argentine public has spoken. The strong turnout and peaceful conduct of the vote are a testament to Argentina's electoral and democratic institutions. We look forward to working with President-elect Milei and his government on shared priorities that benefit the people of both countries, including protecting human rights and democracy, addressing climate change, and investing in the middle class."

Jake Sullivan Jacob Jeremiah Sullivan (born November 28, 1976) is an American attorney who served as the National Security Advisor (United States), U.S. national security advisor from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. Sullivan previously served as Dire ...

, the National Security Advisor, congratulated Milei saying: "I congratulate Javier Milei on his election as president of Argentina and to the people of Argentina for holding free and fair elections. We look forward to building on our strong bilateral relationship based on our shared commitment to human rights, democratic values, and transparency." Former president

congratulated Milei saying: "Congratulations to Javier Milei on a great race for president of Argentina. The whole world was watching! I am very proud of you. You will turn your country around and truly Make Argentina Great Again!" : Uruguayan president

Luis Lacalle Pou Luis Alberto Aparicio Alejandro Lacalle Pou (, ; born 11 August 1973), is a Uruguayan politician and lawyer, who served as the 42nd president of Uruguay from 2020 to 2025. The son of former president Luis Alberto Lacalle, Lacalle Pou attended ...

congratulated Milei saying: "I salute President-elect Javier Milei. We have much to work on together and improve our bilateral relations." : Venezuelan president

Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...

, reacting to the election results, declared that "the neo-Nazi extreme right won in Argentina, we call for reflection on the emergence of extreme right centers that seek to impose themselves to recolonize Latin America and impose extremist models".

References

{{Argentine elections

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Elections in Argentina Javier Milei Presidential elections in Argentina Presidency of Alberto Fernández Presidency of Javier Milei