Political Territorialization and the Forces of Heaven: Electoral Reconfiguration in Argentina in 2023

Abstract

In 2023, the results of the electoral process in Argentina triggered a reconfiguration of the two-coalition type competitive electoral scheme that had remained relatively stable since 2015. Although this transformation affected both national and subnational competitive arenas, this paper focuses on the electoral geography of the presidential election in the first round. In this regard, the traditional geographical configuration of the vote at the national level contradicts some of the assumptions of the theory of political nationalization, which predicts a relatively homogeneous competitive scenario for the various political coalitions in any subnational domain. Instead, in Argentina, two significantly differentiated regional frameworks have been consolidated: a central region, which has an equitable competitive dynamic between the main political formations, and a more peripheral region, mainly in the north of the country, largely dominated by the territorial factions of Peronism. These scenarios, with differentiated regional patterns of electoral behavior, were partially altered by the emergence of Javier Milei’s candidacy, changing the configuration of the territorialization of the vote, with traditional coalitions retreating to their strongholds and La Libertad Avanza (LLA) growing over regional frameworks of the vote linked to pre-existing political forces.