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The vote, seen as a foretaste of November’s midterm elections, saw support for the center-left government retreat.
An increase in support for Argentina’s main opposition party in a primary election could cause problems for President Alberto Fernandez and his ruling center-left coalition.
The conservative opposition led by around five percentage points in the key province of Buenos Aires following Sunday’s mandatory open primary vote, often seen as a nationwide dress rehearsal ahead of the November 4 midterm elections.
About 84% of the vote in the populated area – once considered a stronghold of Fernandez’s party – had been counted as of Monday morning.
Other results showed the retreat of the ruling party, a phenomenon that could portend the government losing its majority in the Senate and its largest minority position in the lower chamber of deputies.
There are 127 seats in the Chamber of Deputies out of a total of 257 in November, as well as 24 seats out of 72 in the Senate.
“The ruling party lost 1.2 million votes compared to 2019 [presidential election]; this brings them to a level which, if repeated in November, leaves Alberto Fernandez very weak, ”Mariel Fornoni, director of the consultancy firm Management & Fit, told Reuters news agency.
Many voters feel abandoned by the main political parties.
A series of crises – including a long recession, soaring inflation and poverty rate which rose to 42% – have hurt public support for the government, despite recent signs of economic recovery, declining coronavirus cases and the successful deployment of a vaccine.
“There is great dissatisfaction among the people,” Patricia Coscarello, a 52-year-old administrative worker outside Buenos Aires, said after voting.
“Apart from the pandemic, the economic situation is complex and wages are falling. “
As the results progressed, the president admitted that his party had failed in some measures.
“Obviously some things we haven’t done well because people haven’t come with us as we would have hoped,” Fernandez said alongside his party leadership, adding that the party would learn from his mistakes and would become stronger.
“The campaign has just started and in November we have to win it because we have a commitment to Argentina.”
Fernandez came to power in 2019, part of a center-left government that replaced the center-right coalition of former President Mauricio Macri.
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