ARGENTINA: Presidential and legislative election
Description of government structure:
•Chief of State: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER *
•Head of Government: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER
•Assembly: Argentina has a bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la nación) consisting of the Senate (Senado) with 72 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) with 257 seats.
* The electoral system is two-round. To avoid a runoff, the winner must win 45 percent of valid votes. Alternatively, she must win 40 percent of valid votes and at least 10 points more than the next-placed candidate.
Description of electoral system:
•The President is elected by qualified majority to serve a 4-year term.
•In the Senate (Senado) 72 members are elected by regional legislatures to serve 6-year terms*. In the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) 257 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 4-year terms.**
* One-third of the Senate is renewable every two years.
** One-half of the Chamber of Deputies is renewable every two years. Party lists are closed. There are 24 multi-member districts. The threshold is 3 percent.
For more information, look at the IFES Election Guide
Women’s participation in Argentine elections
In 1919, Juana Lanteri was the first woman candidate to run for deputy in Argentina. She ran during a time when women could not even vote, taking advantage of a registration period in Buenos Aires for city council elections. After this, in 1947, President Juan Domingo Perón signed a decree granting women the right to vote. This past October 23rd – 92 years after the country’s first woman candidate – Cristina Fernández de Kirchner became the first woman accomplish a feat that would reach historic heights: be reelected as president.
Argentina has been a pioneer in Latin America in the use of quota systems to increase the number of women legislators in national Congress as well as in municipal and provincial parliaments. In 1991, law 24,012 (known as the Women’s Share) was passed, establishing a 30 percent minimum of women candidates to national Congress. This law converted Congress into a political sphere where women’s participation is greater. The Latin American Team for Justice and Gender (ELA) recently released a report revealing that 38 percent of the seats in Congress are currently[1] held by women, surpassing the minimum established by law for candidates. Many more women can be found in higher level management of companies, as directors of institutions, in cabinets or any other space where power is exercised. The same study showed that in terms of women in government, Argentine Congress ranks among the top 12 in the world.[2] A report from UNDP Argentina released this year[3] highlights that in the current government “the appointment of women as national ministers reached 31 percent” and women’s presence in provincial legislatures is increasingly greater. According to the statistics, the proportion of women has gone from 22.1 to 27.7 percent between 1999 and 2009.
Since the Women’s Share law went into effect, other laws for women have addressed three main problems: protection against violence (domestic and sexual), social security (such as retirement for housewives and coverage for domestic workers) and discrimination in the workplace (several laws on equal treatment and opportunity in public administration). For this year’s agenda, decriminalizing abortion and the issue of trafficking have been presented. The presence of women deputies does not guarantee that they will all take the same stance, but it certainly helps women’s needs gain more visibility.
This year, the Primary, Open and Obligatory Elections (PASO), defined in the framework of Law 26,571 [4] made it possible to have a greater number of women “pre” candidates. Furthermore, the Audiovisual Communication Services Law (No. 26,522) indirectly benefited women who are usually discriminated by political parties’ decisions regarding campaign funding since financing is one of the greatest difficulties faced by women candidates.
In this electoral context – and in light of the reelection of President Fernández and progress made in gender equality and women’s rights – it is necessary to reflect on the challenges we have ahead in consolidating the equal participation of women in politics. In this sense, we could say that these challenges exist on three different fronts: the first relates to women’s participation in electoral lists and women’s role within political parties; it is necessary to improve the participation of women candidates and their chances of being elected, in addition to having “gender issues” included by men and women candidates in political party platforms. On the other hand, women’s political participation must be strengthened at the executive level. The presence of women in executive offices in national, provincial and municipal politics is low in comparison to legislative offices[5] and those who occupy these offices face numerous challenges.
Apart from this progress, the UNDP study mentioned above clarifies that “the presence of women in an organization does not guarantee per se equal opportunity, treatment or results.” In this sense, it is important to monitor compliance with gender quotas at all government levels and to mainstream gender within the legislative branch in order to consolidate a gender agenda. In line with an equality standard, why don’t we try to extend the Women’s Share law to 50 percent? In Congress there are bills along these lines and there are also three provinces where it is already implemented – Rio Negro, Santiago del Estero and Cordoba – which leads one to think that a national norm of this nature is not impossible.
Patricia Lizarraga, UN Women Argentina
[1]Prior to the October 23, 2011 elections.
[2]Source: http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-177541-2011-09-25.html
3Contributions for Human Development in Argentina 2011. No. 4. “El género en cifras: varones y mujeres en la Argentina.” UNDP Argentina.
[4]Law to democratize political representation, transparency and electoral equality, passed in 2009.
[5]“Sexo y Poder. ¿Quién manda en la Argentina?” Latin American Team for Justice and Gender. 2011.
Women’s participation in Argentine elections
In 1919, Juana Lanteri was the first woman candidate to run for deputy in Argentina. She ran during a time when women could not even vote, taking advantage of a registration period in Buenos Aires for city council elections. After this, in 1947, President Juan Domingo Perón signed a decree granting women the right to vote. This past October 23rd – 92 years after the country’s first woman candidate – Cristina Fernández de Kirchner became the first woman accomplish a feat that would reach historic heights: be reelected as president.
Argentina has been a pioneer in Latin America in the use of quota systems to increase the number of women legislators in national Congress as well as in municipal and provincial parliaments. In 1991, law 24,012 (known as the Women’s Share) was passed, establishing a 30 percent minimum of women candidates to national Congress. This law converted Congress into a political sphere where women’s participation is greater. The Latin American Team for Justice and Gender (ELA) recently released a report revealing that 38 percent of the seats in Congress are currently[1] held by women, surpassing the minimum established by law for candidates. Many more women can be found in higher level management of companies, as directors of institutions, in cabinets or any other space where power is exercised. The same study showed that in terms of women in government, Argentine Congress ranks among the top 12 in the world.[2] A report from UNDP Argentina released this year[3] highlights that in the current government “the appointment of women as national ministers reached 31 percent” and women’s presence in provincial legislatures is increasingly greater. According to the statistics, the proportion of women has gone from 22.1 to 27.7 percent between 1999 and 2009.
Since the Women’s Share law went into effect, other laws for women have addressed three main problems: protection against violence (domestic and sexual), social security (such as retirement for housewives and coverage for domestic workers) and discrimination in the workplace (several laws on equal treatment and opportunity in public administration). For this year’s agenda, decriminalizing abortion and the issue of trafficking have been presented. The presence of women deputies does not guarantee that they will all take the same stance, but it certainly helps women’s needs gain more visibility.
This year, the Primary, Open and Obligatory Elections (PASO), defined in the framework of Law 26,571 [4] made it possible to have a greater number of women “pre” candidates. Furthermore, the Audiovisual Communication Services Law (No. 26,522) indirectly benefited women who are usually discriminated by political parties’ decisions regarding campaign funding since financing is one of the greatest difficulties faced by women candidates.
In this electoral context – and in light of the reelection of President Fernández and progress made in gender equality and women’s rights – it is necessary to reflect on the challenges we have ahead in consolidating the equal participation of women in politics. In this sense, we could say that these challenges exist on three different fronts: the first relates to women’s participation in electoral lists and women’s role within political parties; it is necessary to improve the participation of women candidates and their chances of being elected, in addition to having “gender issues” included by men and women candidates in political party platforms. On the other hand, women’s political participation must be strengthened at the executive level. The presence of women in executive offices in national, provincial and municipal politics is low in comparison to legislative offices[5] and those who occupy these offices face numerous challenges.
Apart from this progress, the UNDP study mentioned above clarifies that “the presence of women in an organization does not guarantee per se equal opportunity, treatment or results.” In this sense, it is important to monitor compliance with gender quotas at all government levels and to mainstream gender within the legislative branch in order to consolidate a gender agenda. In line with an equality standard, why don’t we try to extend the Women’s Share law to 50 percent? In Congress there are bills along these lines and there are also three provinces where it is already implemented – Rio Negro, Santiago del Estero and Cordoba – which leads one to think that a national norm of this nature is not impossible.
Patricia Lizarraga, UN Women Argentina
[1]Prior to the October 23, 2011 elections.
[2]Source: http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-177541-2011-09-25.html
3Contributions for Human Development in Argentina 2011. No. 4. “El género en cifras: varones y mujeres en la Argentina.” UNDP Argentina.
[4]Law to democratize political representation, transparency and electoral equality, passed in 2009.
[5]“Sexo y Poder. ¿Quién manda en la Argentina?” Latin American Team for Justice and Gender. 2011.