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Argentina

Monthly Event Reports

August 2023 | Far-right populist wins presidential primary
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On 13 August, Argentina conducted its PASO primaries (primary, open, simultaneous, and obligatory). This critical stage in the country's electoral process determines the candidates for national offices in the general election. A candidate needs to secure at least 1.5 per cent of the vote to qualify for the general election scheduled for 22 October. The results of these primaries saw the emergence of far-right populist candidate Javier Milei as the victor. Milei, a member of Argentina's Congress since 2021, obtained first place, securing about 30 per cent of the votes. Milei promotes a radical libertarian platform and has vowed to close Argentina’s central bank. He opposes sex education, wants to ease firearm purchases, and denies the climate crisis. This outcome signifies a notable shift in Argentine politics, disrupting the long-standing dominance of the country's two principal political factions. His victory reflects public dissatisfaction with Argentina's traditional politics, especially amidst severe economic challenges. Voter participation was less than 70 per cent, marking the lowest turnout in over ten years since these elections were initiated.

June 2023 | Protests and violence escalate in response to provincial constitutional reforms

In June, violence erupted in Argentina’s north-western province of Jujuy following weeks of protests against reforms to the provincial constitution. These reforms facilitate the eviction of Indigenous land occupiers for lithium mining, prohibit common protest tactics such as roadblocks, and mandate prior notification to police of protest action. The unrest escalated on 20 June, when violent clashes between protesters and police erupted as the reform was fast-tracked and approved without public participation or consultation. At least 170 people were injured, and 68 others were detained during the repression of the demonstrations. President Alberto Fernández issued a statement condemning the acts of repression by the government of Jujuy and urged the governor to comply with international human rights standards. Several domestic and international rights organizations have expressed concern and appealed to the United Nations amidst the ongoing protests and arrests. The UN has also called for an investigation into the alleged human rights violations in the province.

January 2023 | Tensions between President Alberto Fernandez and Judiciary intensify

As Argentina marks the beginning of an electoral year, President Alberto Fernandez formally requested that Congress impeach four Supreme Court justices. This follows a ruling last month in which the Court restored federal tax revenues to the opposition-controlled city of Buenos Aires. In the impeachment proceedings, the four justices are accused of violating Article 1 of the Constitution, which is meant to protect federalism in Argentina. The government is expected to present leaked communications as evidence of corruption which are purported to show improper coordination between members of the Court and opposition officials. President Alberto Fernandez claims the ruling was an “unacceptable intervention of the judicial power over other powers in Argentina, demonstrating the outrageous ties between part of the political class and the judiciary.” Opposition Congressmembers have condemned the impeachment request, alleging it is an undemocratic attack on the judiciary by the government. Similarly, Human Rights Watch warned the impeachment process was “an assault on the rule of law”. 

December 2022 | Vice-President sentenced to six years in prison for corruption and banned from public office

Confrontation between Argentina's Executive power and the Judiciary continued as Vice-President Cristina Fernández was sentenced to six years in prison and a lifetime ban from holding public office in the ‘Vialidad’ corruption case. The government criticised the ruling, on the eve of which President Alberto Fernández delivered a national broadcast that sought to discredit the judiciary.  Moreover, a potential constitutional crisis appeared to be developing after the federal Frente de Todos (FdT) coalition government led by President Alberto Fernández said it would not comply with a Supreme Court ruling on a tax revenue dispute in the city of Buenos Aires.

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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
45 808 750
System of government
Presidential system
Head of government
President Alberto Fernández (since 2019)
Head of government party
Justicialist Party
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
44.8%
Women in upper chamber
43.1%
Last legislative election
2021
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
2.68
Head of state
President Alberto Fernández
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (modified two-round)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
06/11/2017
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
93.09%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
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International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
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International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
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Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
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Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
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Convention on the Rights of the Child
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International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
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International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
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International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
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International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
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Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
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Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
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Equal Remuneration Convention
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Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
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Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
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Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
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Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
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Regional Treaties
American Convention on Human Rights
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Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
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in
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Categories of Democratic Performance

Representation neutral Representation
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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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