The government is holding up, but new scenarios are opening up in Argentina. Cristina Kirchner's presidential coalition retained an absolute majority in Parliament after the midterm elections, in which half of the House and a third of the Senate were renewed. However, opposition parties have gained ground, establishing themselves in five of the country's major provinces.
In the province of Buenos Aires, the most important and populated in the country with 38% of the national electorate, Kirchner's party was defeated by the Renewal Front of the dissident Peronist Sergio Massa, current mayor of Tigre.
According to Clarin, Massa, "the 41-year-old emerging leader, who is aiming for the 2015 presidential elections, defeated the FVP candidate, Martin Insaurralde, by 12 points".
With 42% of the vote, Massa not only overtook his rival, but also established himself as the most voted candidate in the whole country, presenting himself as a Peronist alternative who does not renounce the legacy of Kirchnerism in social matters, but changes its approach to issues such as inflation, foreign exchange policy or public safety.
In the industrial province of Cordoba, another dissident Peronist formation prevailed, while the socialists took the lead in the province of Santa Fe. Clarin writes that "voter turnout was 75% and for the first time sixteen-year-olds also voted".
