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Government of Argentina

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The government of Argentina, within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. Legislative power is vested in the National Congress. The Judiciary is independent from the Executive and from the Legislature, and is vested in the Supreme Court and the lower national tribunals. From the own government is also called Presidency of the Nation (In spanish: Presidencia de la Nación).

Government of Argentina
Gobierno de Argentina
Casa Rosada, government office of the President of Argentina
Formation1810; 214 years ago (1810)
Founding documentConstitution of Argentina
Jurisdiction Argentina
Websitecasarosada.gob.ar
Legislative branch
LegislatureNational Congress
Meeting placePalace of the Congress
Executive branch
LeaderPresident of Argentina
HeadquartersCasa Rosada
Main organCabinet of Ministers
Departments8
Judicial branch
CourtSupreme Court
SeatPalace of Justice

Executive branch

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See also: Ministries of the Argentine Republic

The current composition of the executive branch includes solely the president, who is the head of state and is formally given the power over the administration to follow through with the interests of the nation. The president is also the chief of the Argentine Armed Forces.

The president and the vice president are elected through universal suffrage by the nation. The constitutional reform of 1994 introduced a two-round system, more popularly known in the country as ballotage, by which the winning presidential ticket has to receive either more than 45% of the overall valid votes, or at least 40% of it and a 10% lead over the runner-up. In any other case, the two leading tickets get to face a second round whose victor will be decided by a simple majority. This mechanism was not necessary in the 1995 election, when it could have first come into use, nor in the ones in 1999, 2007, 2011, and 2019. However, it was instrumental in the selection of Néstor Kirchner in 2003, of Mauricio Macri in 2015, and, most recently, of Javier Milei in 2023.

The cabinet of ministers is appointed by the president, but is not technically part of the executive power.[1] The vice president belongs to the legislative branch, since they also hold the presidency of the senate.

Current presidency

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Portfolio Incumbent Since Party Coalition
President   Javier Milei 10 December 2023 Libertarian Party Freedom Advances
Vice President   Victoria Villarruel 10 December 2023 Democratic Party Freedom Advances

Current ministries

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As of October 2024:

Portfolio Incumbent Since Party Coalition
Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers   Guillermo Francos 28 May 2024 Independent Freedom Advances
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
International Trade and Worship 		  Diana Mondino 10 December 2023 Independent Freedom Advances
Ministry of Defense   Luis Petri 10 December 2023 Radical Civic Union Together for Change
Ministry of Economy   Luis Caputo 10 December 2023 Republican Proposal Together for Change
Ministry of Justice   Mariano Cúneo Libarona 10 December 2023 Independent
Ministry of Security   Patricia Bullrich 10 December 2023 Republican Proposal Together for Change
Ministry of Health   Mario Lugones 26 September 2024 Independent
Ministry of Human Capital   Sandra Pettovello 10 December 2023 Union of the Democratic Centre Freedom Advances

Legislative branch

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Palace of the Argentine National Congress, seat of the Legislature

The National Congress (Spanish: Congreso Nacional) constitutes the legislative branch of government. The Congress consists of the Senate (72 seats), presided by the Vice-President of the Nation, and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats), currently presided by Julián Domínguez, deputy for Buenos Aires province. Senators stay in office for six years, and deputies, for four.

Each of the Provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires elect deputies and senators directly. Deputies are representatives of the whole people of the Nation, while Senators represent their districts. Each district elects a number of deputies roughly proportional to their overall population by proportional representation, and three senators: two for the majority, and one for the first minority. Members of both chambers are allowed indefinite re-elections.

Every two years, each of the 24 electoral districts (the twenty-three Provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires) elects one half of their lower chamber representatives. Districts with an odd number of Deputies elect one more or one fewer of them on each election. As for the Senators, the twenty-four districts are divided into three groups consisting of eight districts. Every two years all eight districts of one of those groups elect all their three senators, assigning two of them from the party that obtains the majority, and one from the first minority party. Six years later, the same group of districts will hold its next senatorial elections.

Judiciary branch

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Main building of the Argentine Supreme Court

The Judiciary Branch is composed of federal judges and others with different jurisdictions and of a Supreme Court with nine members (one President, one Vice President, and seven Ministers), appointed by the President with approval of the Senate, who may be deposed by Congress. As of December 2015 there are six vacancies, which then President Kirchner stated she did not intend to fill.

Provincial and municipal governments

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Further information: Administrative divisions of Argentina

Argentina is divided into 23 districts called Provinces and one autonomous district, which hosts the national capital, the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (which is conurbated into the province of Buenos Aires). Each of the provinces has its own constitution, laws, authorities, form of government, etc., though these must first and foremost comply with the national constitution and laws.

The government of each province has three branches. The Executive, Legislative and Judiciary. The Executive branch is led by a governor. The Legislative Branch may be organized as a unicameral or a bicameral system, i.e:, with either one or two chambers or houses; currently, eight of the 24 provinces has a bicameral legislature.[2]

Each province, except for Buenos Aires Province, is divided into districts called departments (departamentos). Departments are merely administrative divisions; they do not have governing structures or authorities of their own. They are in turn divided into municipalities (cities, towns and villages). Each province has its own naming conventions and government systems for different kinds of municipalities. For example, Córdoba Province has municipios (cities) and comunas (towns); Santa Fe Province further distinguishes between first- and second- tier municipios; Chaco Province refers to every populated center as municipios, in three categories.

The Province of Buenos Aires has a different system. Its territory is divided into 134 districts called partidos, each of which usually contains several cities and towns.

Regardless of the province, each department/partido has a head town (cabecera), often though not necessarily the largest urban center, and in some provinces often named the same as their parent district.

Municipalities are ruled by mayors, usually called Intendant (intendente) in the case of cities and towns (the larger categories). A city has a legislative body called the Deliberative Council (Concejo Deliberante). The smaller towns have simpler systems, often ruled by commissions presided by a communal president (presidente communal) or a similarly named authority.

Buenos Aires city, seat of the National Government, was declared an autonomous city by the 1994 constitutional reform. Its mayor, formerly chosen by the President of the Republic, is now elected by the people, and receives the title of Chief of Government (Jefe de Gobierno). Other than that, Buenos Aires, as the provinces, has its own Legislative Branch (a unicameral Legislature) and elect deputies and senators as representatives to the National Congress.

References

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  1. ^ Argentina Constitution and Citizenship Laws Handbook: Strategic Information and Basic Laws. IBP, Inc. 2013-04-04. ISBN 978-1-4387-7842-6.
  2. ^ Malamud, Andrés and Martín Costanzo (2010) "Bicameralismo subnacional: el caso argentino en perspectiva comparada Archived 13 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine". In: Igor Vivero Ávila (ed.), Democracia y reformas políticas en México y América Latina (pp. 219–246). Mexico: M. A. Porrúa.
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