1963 Argentine general election

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1963 Argentine general election
Flag of Argentina.svg
Presidential election
  1958 7 July 1963 Mar 1973  

476 members of the Electoral College
239 votes needed to win
Registered11,356,240
Turnout85.50%
  Arturo Umberto Illia 1965.jpg Oscar Alende.png Aramburu2.jpg
Nominee Arturo Illia Oscar Alende Pedro Aramburu
Party UCRP UCRI UDELPA
Alliance UDELPA - PDP
Running mate Carlos Perette Celestino GelsiArturo Etchevehere/
Horacio Thedy
Electoral vote16811075
States carried11 + CF 41
Popular vote2,441,0641,593,0021,362,596
Percentage31.90%20.82%17.81%

  Emilio Olmos hijo.png Horacio Sueldo.jpg
Nominee Emilio Olmos Jr. Horacio Sueldo  [ es ]
Party FNPC PDC
Running mate Emilio Jofré  [ es ] Francisco Eduardo Cerro  [ es ]
Electoral vote3123
States carried30
Popular vote511,779434,823
Percentage6.69%5.68%

Elecciones presidenciales de Argentina 1963.svg
Most voted candidate by province.

President before election

José María Guido
UCRI

Elected President

Arturo Illia
UCRP

Legislative election
  1962 7 July 1963 1965  

192 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
Turnout85.60%
PartyVote %Seats
Chamber of Deputies
People's Radical Civic Union 30.68%72
Intransigent Radical Civic Union 19.55%40
Union of the Argentine People 8.32%13
Democratic Progressive Party 7.05%12
National Federation of Center Parties 5.69%9
Christian Democratic Party 5.54%8
Argentine Socialist Party 3.89%6
Democratic Socialist Party 3.89%5
Popular Union 2.45%5
Others 12.94%22
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Elecciones legislativas de Argentina de 1963 - Resultados por distrito.svg
Results by province

The Argentine general election of 1963 was held on 7 July. Voters chose both the President and their legislators; with a turnout of 85.6%, resulting in the election of Arturo Illia as President of Argentina.

Contents

Background

The spectre of military intervention so much in evidence after the election of Arturo Frondizi in 1958 became reality following his coerced resignation on March 29, 1962. His UCRI candidates had done well; but the evening's big surprise, Andrés Framini's election as Governor of Buenos Aires Province (one of ten Peronists to win gubernatorial polls that night), proved unacceptable to the armed forces. [1] An array of political leaders had been lobbying the military against Frondizi, as well: centrist UCRP leader Ricardo Balbín (whom Frondizi defeated on a splinter ticket in 1958) and conservative economist Álvaro Alsogaray (whom Frondizi sidestepped in favor of pro-industry economist Rogelio Julio Frigerio) both openly celebrated the president's unceremonious exit. [2]

A military adjutant watches over interim President Guido, an unwitting metaphor as Army factions wrestled for control of his puppet regime. Guido2.jpg
A military adjutant watches over interim President Guido, an unwitting metaphor as Army factions wrestled for control of his puppet regime.

The matter of Frondizi's successor, itself, became a subject of contention within the armed forces. The two opposing camps defined themselves as either "Blues" ((in Spanish)Azules, at pains to maintain a patina of legality over the destabilizing intervention) or "Reds" ((in Spanish)Colorados, lacking any compunction against imposing a prolonged and repressive dictatorship). The stalemate lasted merely a day because most of the Army High Command were "Blues," whose preference of a "legal" solution to the vacuum was supported by most of the press and the Argentine public, [2] then enjoying Latin America's widest access to the media. [3] Relying on constitutional guidelines, they named the reluctant Senate President José María Guido Head of State. [2]

Guido, a moderate senator from then-remote Río Negro Province, had been elected on Frondizi's 's UCRI ticket. His prompt resignation from the UCRI and annulment of the March 18 mid-term elections did not immediately dispel the threat of a coup attempt, however, and mutinies in April and August resulted in the appointment of Army General Juan Carlos Onganía (who successfully rebelled against his "Red" superiors) as Head of the Military Joint Chiefs. The more stable military panorama was overshadowed by economic worries. [2] Following a brief period of robust growth led by industrial production, President Guido's economic team, led by Alsogaray, imposed a fresh devaluation and austerity measures such as strict credit controls and even the payment of state salaries with nearly-worthless bonds. GDP fell by 4% in 1962-63 and unemployment rose to nearly 9%. [4]

The Radical Civic Union (UCR) was again divided between the Intransigent (UCRI) and more conservative Popular (UCRP) factions as they convened in March 1963. The UCRP nominated former Córdoba Province Vice-Governor Arturo Illia, a country doctor fondly remembered for his work in the Public Health Committee in Congress; Balbín, who still led the UCRP, opted out of the nomination at the party's March 10 convention believing that a less anti-Peronist choice would give the UCRP a critical advantage over the rival UCRI. [2]

The UCRI, as they had done in 1958, initially hoped to secure the exiled Juan Perón's endorsement who, from Madrid, still directly controlled a fifth of the Argentine electorate. Permitted to field local and Lower House candidates (but still banned from either the Senate or the Presidency) Peronist voters, like in 1962, rallied behind the UP and six other parties. Their intention to run in the less-than-free elections was itself in defiance of Perón, however, who refused to endorse "neo-Peronist" candidates and instead called for blank ballots. Alejandro Leloir, who had fallen out with fellow neo-Peronists as well as Perón, ran for President independently on the Three Flags ticket; named for the "three Peronist flags" of sovereignty, independence, and social justice, this became the only Peronist ticket allowed on the presidential ballot in 1963. [5]

Against opposition from former Buenos Aires Governor Oscar Alende, Frondizi and Perón initially agreed on a "National Popular Front," fielding a respected, moderately conservative publisher as the nominee, Vicente Solano Lima. Tricked by a similar move in 1958, the military objected, however, leading to the brutal 1963 Argentine Navy Revolt on April 2, which cost 24 lives and effectively scuttled the Perón-Frondizi front. These incidents led former President Pedro Aramburu run on his UDELPA ticket, thus hoping to provide those most likely to support a military coup a suitable, center-right choice instead. He was also endorsed by the more moderate Democratic Progressive Party, whose leader, Horacio Thedy, ran as Aramburu's running mate; making fears of Perón's return his battle horse, Aramburu's slogan was unequivocal: Vote UDELPA...and HE won't return! [2] Other anti-Peronist conservatives supported former Córdoba Mayor Emilio Olmos and the FNPC. [6]

Hamstrung by Frondizi's open enmity against Alende for the latter's rejection of the ultimately aborted Front, as well as Perón's call for blank ballots, Alende's UCRI was defeated in an upset by Dr. Arturo Illia and the UCRP. [4]

The renewed ban on the participation of Peronist candidates resulted in the highest percentage of blank votes in Argentine electoral history; [4] Leloir's Three Flags ticket received 4 electoral votes. [7]

Candidates for President

Results

President

Presidential
candidate
Vice Presidential
candidate
PartyPopular voteElectoral vote
Votes%Votes%
Arturo Umberto Illia Carlos Humberto Perette People's Radical Civic Union (UCRP)2,441,06431.9016835.92
Oscar Alende Celestino Gelsi Intransigent Radical Civic Union (UCRI)1,593,00220.8211023.11
Pedro Eugenio Aramburu Total Aramburu1,362,59617.817515.76
Arturo J. Etchevehere Union of the Argentine People (UDELPA)726,8619.50428.82
Horacio Thedy Democratic Progressive Party (PDP)619,4818.10306.30
Misiones Alliance14,4530.1930.63
Union of the Argentine People-Popular Democratic Party1,8010.02
Emilio Olmos Jr.Emilio Jofré National Federation of Center Parties (FNPC)511,7796.69316.51
Horacio SueldoFrancisco Eduardo Cerro Christian Democratic Party (PDC)434,8235.68234.83
Alfredo Palacios Ramón I. Soria Argentine Socialist Party (PSA)278,8563.64122.52
Alfredo OrgazRodolfo Fitte Democratic Socialist Party (PSD)258,7873.38102.10
Justo León BengoaTotal Bengoa150,7711.9751.05
Social Justice Party 83,3021.0940.84
National Front Movement40,1640.5210.21
Labour Party (PL)20,5600.27
National Independent Party6,7450.09
Alejandro Leloir Three Flags Party 113,9411.4971.47
White Party 70,8600.9330.63
Liberal Party of Corrientes (PL)59,6960.7851.05
Blockist Radical Civic Union (UCRB)46,0880.6040.84
Democratic Federal Movement 42,1160.5551.05
Autonomist Party of Corrientes (PA)38,9070.5130.63
Agrarian Social Party37,6300.49
Renewal Crusade Radical Civic Union (UCRCR)31,7180.4120.63
National Union30,7300.4010.21
Provincial Defense - White Flag23,4370.3120.42
Juan Francisco CastroNational Action22,9930.30
Neuquén People's Movement (MPN)20,6480.2761.26
Provincial Party16,0860.2120.42
Colorado Party10,9290.14
Democratic Conservative People's Party10,4930.14
Socialist Party (PS)9,4830.12
People's Party9,3710.12
Democratic Concentration6,0280.08
Popular Intransigent Radical Civic Union5,3010.0710.21
Misiones Popular Civic Union4,2120.06
Blue and White Party3,9930.05
La Rioja Radical Civic Union2,7050.04
Autonomist Democratic Party 1,3370.02
Formosa Civic Union9450.01
Argentine Socialist Vanguard Party4750.01
Conservative Provincial Workers Party1850.00
Total7,651,985100
Positive votes7,651,98578.80
Blank votes1,884,43519.41
Invalid votes173,6961.79
Total votes9,710,116100
Registered voters/turnout11,356,24085.50
Sources: [8] [9]

Chamber of Deputies

PartyVotes%Seats
1963-1965
Seats
1963-1967
Total seats
People's Radical Civic Union (UCRP)2,419,26830.68363672
Intransigent Radical Civic Union (UCRI)1,541,45219.55202040
Union of the Argentine People (UDELPA)656,1298.326713
Democratic Progressive Party (PDP)555,8917.056612
National Federation of Center Parties (FNPC)449,0655.69459
Christian Democratic Party (PDC)436,9225.54448
Argentine Socialist Party (PSA)306,8703.89336
Democratic Socialist Party (PSD)306,6483.89325
Popular Union (UP)193,0912.45415
Three Flags Party 113,7151.44123
White Party 71,1490.9011
Social Justice Party 66,9760.8511
Liberal Party of Corrientes (PLCo)61,2500.78112
National Labour Party 54,4490.6922
Workers' White Party 46,7770.5922
Blockist Radical Civic Union (UCRB)45,3950.5811
Democratic Federal Movement 42,4810.5411
Autonomist Party of Corrientes (PA)39,9430.51112
Renewal Crusade Radical Civic Union (UCRCR)32,0500.4111
Provincial Defense - White Flag24,4220.3111
San Luis Popular Action 23,1260.2911
Neuquén People's Movement (MPN)20,5720.2622
Provincial Party16,3350.2111
Misiones Alliance (UDELPA-PDP)12,1100.1511
Others349,3274.43
Total7,885,4131009696192
Positive votes7,885,41381.12
Blank votes1,642,52216.90
Invalid votes192,7661.98
Total votes9,720,701100
Registered voters/turnout11,356,24085.60
Source: [10]

References

  1. "Todo Argentina: 1962". Archived from the original on September 29, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Potash, Robert (1996). The Army and Politics in Argentina. Stanford University Press.
  3. Encyclopædia Britannica Book of the Year, 1965: communications.
  4. 1 2 3 "Todo Argentina: 1963". Archived from the original on 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
  5. McGuire, James (1997). Peronism Without Peron: Unions, Parties, and Democracy in Argentina. Stanford University Press.
  6. "Murió el ingeniero Emilio Olmos". La Nación.
  7. Nohlen, Dieter (2005). Elections in the Americas: A Data Handbook. Vol. II: South America. Nueva York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-928358-3.
  8. Cantón, Darío (1968). Materiales para el estudio de la sociología política en la Argentina (PDF). Vol. Tomo I. Buenos Aires: Centro de Investigaciones Sociales - Torcuato di Tella Institute. pp. 227–232.
  9. Historia Electoral Argentina (1912-2007) (PDF). Ministry of Interior - Subsecretaría de Asuntos Políticos y Electorales. December 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2014.
  10. Elecciones (PDF). Estudios e Investigaciones Nº7. Vol. I. Dirección de Información Parlamentaria del Congreso de la Nación. April 1993. p. 225. ISBN   950-685-009-7.