Leandro Zdero from the center-right Juntos por el Cambio alliance won in Argentina’s Chaco province in the north of the country bordering Paraguay and Bolivia.
He beat current Governor Jorge Capitanich. The Peronist party had ruled since 2007.
Zdero got 46.1% of the votes. Capitanich got 41.7%. The sitting governor will leave office in December.
He failed to secure a fourth term. His campaign hit a snag due to a murder case in June.
Another party, “Corriente de expresión renovada,” got 5% of the votes. La Libertad Avanza got 3.4%. Javier Milei leads this party and may run for President.
A Juntos por el Cambio leader celebrated in Chaco. She praised the voters for their choice. She mentioned freedom from Kirchnerism, a previous ruling ideology.
3% of Argentina’s people live in the Chaco province. About 27.4% of voters did not vote. Almost one million people could vote in the province.
Chaco held its elections separately from national ones. National elections will be on October 22.
Mendoza will hold its elections on September 24. For the national elections, Javier Milei seems to be the front-runner.
He is ahead of Bullrich and Sergio Massa from Unión por la Patria.
If no candidate wins 45% in the first round, a runoff will happen on November 19. The candidate needs a ten-point lead to avoid this.
Background
This win is significant for Juntos por el Cambio. It shows growing support for the centrist-right coalition.
Zdero’s victory could influence the national elections in October. This result disrupts the long-standing rule of the Peronist party in Chaco.
Capitanich’s loss is noteworthy. A murder case tainted his term. This probably played a role in his defeat. Public sentiment could be shifting toward greater scrutiny of leaders.
The high abstention rate also deserves attention. More than a quarter of registered voters stayed home.
This could reflect a lack of trust in the political process. It raises questions about voter engagement in future elections.
More: Argentina news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief