2011 Argentine provincial elections
Incumbent Eduardo Brizuela del Moral (UCR), who was looking for his third consecutive mandate with the alliance Civic and Social Front of Catamarca (FCyS) that governed the province since 1991, surprisingly lost the election to Lucía Corpacci,[2] a current National Senator and former Vice-Governor of Brizuela del Moral, who headed a Justicialist Party joint list (between both the pro- and the anti- national government factions).
Other candidates were: Liliana Barrionuevo, sister of union leader Luis Barrionuevo, for Primero Catamarca-PRO, Julio César Andrada for MST-Proyecto Sur, Ignacio Díaz for Polo Obrero-PO and Marcelo Cisternas for Concertación-FORJA.
San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, the capital and largest city (with about 50% of the total population) elected Raúl Jalil (FpV) as mayor.
On 20 March 2011, Chubut Province elected a governor and 27 provincial deputies, thus renewing the whole legislature.
The legislative election is direct in a single district: the most voted party gains 16 seats (60%) and the remaining 11 seats are proportionally divided among the following party lists, by D'Hondt method, without threshold.
The main candidates for Governor are the current mayor of Comodoro Rivadavia, Martín Buzzi (Modelo Chubut-Federal Peronism, PJ), supported by incumbent Governor Mario Das Neves; and Mayor of Puerto Madryn, Carlos Eliceche (Front for Victory, PJ), allied to the national government.
Two-times Governor Das Neves cannot run for re-election, and it is currently a presidential pre-candidate.
The elections yielded inconclusive results initially, as Buzzi's total of 37.8% (against Eliceche's 37.2%), and his winning margin of 1,551 votes led to a recount when irregularities led to a judicial injunction against results in six precincts totaling 1,967 votes.
[3] Following a protracted recount process, as well a court-ordered re-vote held on May 29 in the six impugned precincts, Buzzi, albeit with a narrowed lead of 384 votes, was officially elected Governor of Chubut.
Results in these elections created an ironic twist to the headline gubernatorial race: Comodoro Rivadavia, where Buzzi had been mayor, elected the opposition FpV candidate, Néstor di Pierro; and Puerto Madryn, where Eliceche had been mayor, elected the opposition Federal Peronist candidate, Ricardo Sastre.
This included the first electoral success for the new Workers Left Front, with a legislator elected.
On 26 June 2011, Tierra del Fuego Province elected its governor and 15 provincial legislators.
On 3 July, Fabiana Ríos of the Patagonian Social Party (provincial section of CC-ARI) won the runoff with 50.66% against Rosana Bertone (FpV-PJ) On 10 July 2011, the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires held the first round of its local elections.
