1960 Argentine legislative election explained

Election Name:1960 Argentine legislative election
Country:Argentina
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1958
Next Election:1962
Seats For Election:102 of 192 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
Turnout:86.90%
Election Date:27 March 1960
Noleader:yes
Heading1:Chamber of Deputies
Color1:
  1. E10019
Party1:People's Radical Civic Union
Percentage1:31.76%
Last Election1:26
Seats1:52
Color2:
  1. D10047
Party2:Intransigent Radical Civic Union
Percentage2:27.22%
Last Election2:66
Seats2:46
Color3:
  1. 4169E1
Party3:National Federation of Center Parties
Percentage3:12.87%
Last Election3:1
Seats3:3
Color4:grey
Party4:Provincial Defense - White Flag
Percentage4:0.72%
Last Election4:0
Seats4:1
Results Sec:Results
Map:Elecciones legislativas de Argentina de 1960 - Resultados por distrito.svg
Map Upright:2

The Argentine legislative elections of 1960 was held on 27 March. Voters chose their legislators, and with a turnout of 87%.

Background

President Arturo Frondizi had been elected in 1958 largely with the endorsement of the exiled, populist leader, Juan Perón. Military and conservative pressure made the president unable to lift the 1955 ban imposed on Peronism - though Peronists had other reasons for breaking with Frondizi ahead of the 1960 elections. Contrary to his platform, he appointed ultra-conservative economist Alvaro Alsogaray, whose austerity program helped lead to a doubling of prices in 1959 (a record, up to that time) and sharp recession.[1] Recommending the casting of blank votes, Perón took care to deprive Frondizi of potential anti-peronist support by revealing their earlier, secret deal: Peronist support in 1958 in exchange for restored political rights.[2] A year marked with labor strife was followed by the bombing of a Shell Petroleum facility in March 1960, leading to the enactment of the Conintes Plan - a further, severe limitation on political freedoms.[3]

Frondizi bore the brunt of public disapproval over these developments; in reality, however, both decisions were signed on the insistence of the Argentine military, many of whom were unambiguous on their willingness to overthrow the president (Conintes, in particular was signed in lieu of military demands for martial law).[4] Frondizi's UCRI congressional candidates went from nearly half the 1958 vote to only 27% - though they retained their overall majority since its loss of seats was more moderate (mostly to Ricardo Balbín's more conservative UCR-P). Peronists' blank votes resulted in one of the highest such incidences (25%) in Argentine electoral history.[2]

Results

Results by province

ProvinceUCRPUCRICenter PartiesOthers
Votes%SeatsVotes%SeatsVotes%SeatsVotes%Seats
scope=rowBuenos Airesbgcolor=LightCoral753,702bgcolor=LightCoral34.55bgcolor=LightCoral align=center18507,28323.258272,57412.49648,22029.71
scope=rowBuenos Aires Citybgcolor=LightCoral371,530bgcolor=LightCoral29.00bgcolor=LightCoral align=center13307,14523.98579,3076.19523,10140.83
scope=rowCatamarcabgcolor=LightCoral18,980bgcolor=LightCoral35.83bgcolor=LightCoral align=center218,47734.887,05413.328,46215.97
scope=rowChacobgcolor=LightCoral49,688bgcolor=LightCoral37.10bgcolor=LightCoral align=center246,07534.4019,3416.9728,83621.53
scope=rowChubut9,71530.69bgcolor=pink11,971bgcolor=pink37.82bgcolor=pink align=center12,4447.727,52623.77
scope=rowCórdobabgcolor=LightCoral294,251bgcolor=LightCoral44.33bgcolor=LightCoral align=center6189,45828.543102,01915.3778,04611.76
scope=rowCorrientes12,0426.19bgcolor=pink63,251bgcolor=pink32.52bgcolor=pink align=center2104,62453.79114,5867.50
scope=rowEntre Ríosbgcolor=LightCoral111,882bgcolor=LightCoral37.71bgcolor=LightCoral align=center587,64229.54256,77919.1440,41213.62
scope=rowFormosa12,76338.56bgcolor=pink12,949bgcolor=pink39.12bgcolor=pink align=center27,38622.32
scope=rowLa Rioja17,10041.19bgcolor=pink17,395bgcolor=pink41.90bgcolor=pink align=center25,01512.082,0024.82
scope=rowMendoza66,19923.92160,81321.97bgcolor=LightSteelBlue101,909bgcolor=LightSteelBlue36.82bgcolor=LightSteelBlue align=center247,84617.29
scope=rowMisiones28,17338.151bgcolor=pink30,204bgcolor=pink40.90bgcolor=pink align=center23,1074.2112,37316.75
scope=rowNeuquén7,08128.97bgcolor=pink7,523bgcolor=pink30.77bgcolor=pink align=center12,1778.917,66531.35
scope=rowSalta27,39527.95bgcolor=pink31,475bgcolor=pink32.11bgcolor=pink align=center125,11925.6214,04114.32
scope=rowSan Luis5,9259.12bgcolor=pink28,265bgcolor=pink43.50bgcolor=pink align=center227,84342.852,9434.53
scope=rowSanta Cruz2,56431.64bgcolor=pink2,724bgcolor=pink33.61bgcolor=pink align=center21,13013.941,68620.80
scope=rowSanta Fe218,42128.803bgcolor=pink235,370bgcolor=pink31.03bgcolor=pink align=center725,2363.33279,38036.84
scope=rowSantiago del Estero47,87633.981bgcolor=pink60,906bgcolor=pink43.23bgcolor=pink align=center27,5055.3324,60817.47
scope=rowTucumán36,41615.92bgcolor=pink73,570bgcolor=pink32.16bgcolor=pink align=center314,0276.13104,77345.801
Total2,091,70331.76521,792,49627.2246847,21012.8731,853,89228.151

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20080929082639/http://www.todo-argentina.net/historia/civmil/frondizi/1959.html Todo Argentina: 1959
  2. Rock, David. Argentina: 1516-1982. University of California Press, 1987.
  3. http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-81852-2007-03-16.html Página/12
  4. Potash, Robert. The Army and Politics in Argentina. Stanford University Press, 1996.