About 1,500 people call Tecka home. This small Patagonian town sits roughly 1,859 kilometers south of Buenos Aires along a quiet road. The wind here is a constant presence, sweeping through open spaces as cars pass by without stopping. Tecka briefly drew attention at the start of recent primary processes when the local mayor was defeated by a blank vote, a margin of about 54% and nearly ten points. The outcome happened because there was only one candidate. That odd result drew interest from the capital, and many analysts began asking whether this was a singular incident or a signal of a broader national mood. The landscape in Argentina looked poised for a Sunday reveal when polls opened. The Concurrent and Mandatory Open Primary, known as PASO, was viewed as a snapshot of the country’s sentiment ahead of the presidential elections planned for October. The Peronist ruling party faced a disadvantage against the right, while the far right risked becoming more than a statistic. Polls suggested the economist Javier Milei could attract around 20% of voters.
The phenomenon of abstention—sometimes labeled a protest vote—hovered over PASO, blending with what some call the “vote rant.” The aim was to prevent the candidate eliciting the strongest public revulsion from winning. The economy’s struggles were central: Sergio Massa, serving as Economy Minister, faced inflation and tried to reassure traditional Peronist supporters that the worst was over and brighter days lay ahead. In the capital, Horacio Rodriguez Larreta and Patricia Bullrich were locked in a contest to determine who would lead the conservative space once associated with former president Mauricio Macri. Sparks flew as they clashed. Meanwhile Milei attempted to steer a volatile electorate, crying out amid the turmoil of a crisis reminiscent of 2001. He was cited in discussions around responsibility for a deadly incident involving a protester and for defending the capital’s police. The promise of a firmer hand became a key selling point as campaigns drew to a close.
unknowns
Even the bold claims of bolsonarism failed to offer a clear path. A number of candidates, including calls for immediate enforcement of security measures, did not provide certainty about voter behavior on August 13. Very few first-time voters, turning 17, were expected to participate in the primaries. About 3% of the roughly 34.5 million eligible voters were in this category. In many cases, PASO participants arrived with the energy of social media, using TikTok and other platforms to persuade younger audiences as if they were ordinary users.
Disrespect or jokes online, fake sympathy, or feigned seriousness did not guarantee enthusiasm within the country. Poverty hovered near 40%, and the cost of living had risen by more than 100% in the past year. Polls suggested volatility with the potential for abrupt shifts, though some questions remained unsettled.
Election analysts described the campaign as unusually flat. Voters seemed to lack a clear sense of leadership or a strategic vision for the country. Analysts noted a disconnect between leaders and the public, with many feeling neither inspired nor emotionally moved by the candidates. A segment of society stood apart, mirroring the sentiment seen in Tecka, where some ballots were filled with white votes as a form of quiet dissent. Those who felt overwhelmed by the present chose not to punish any candidate and stayed home. Observers warned that higher abstention could reduce opportunities for Peronism. In 2019, about 74.9% of eligible voters participated in PASO. The possibility of a sharp shift in turnout had not been ruled out, based on patterns observed in previous primaries in major provinces like Santa Fe, which had high turnout.
peronist intersection
Peronism lost millions of votes in the 2021 parliamentary elections, a blow so deep it tempered its ambitions. President Alberto Fernandez became a less dominant figure, and the economy faced renewed pressures. Dollar prices moved higher, reserves at the central bank dwindled, and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund continued under strain. The risk of a broader collapse hovered, especially affecting those most exposed to inflation, urban insecurity, and housing shortages.
According to the Center for Implementing Public Policy for Equality and Growth, one in three households faced difficult conditions or overcrowding. A concerning picture shows areas lacking clean drinking water and sewer systems, with about 1.3 million homes affected. There are thousands of informal settlements, concentrated mainly around the capital. A recent tragedy in one neighborhood underscored the sense that certain streets feel like contested territory. Mothers expressed the fear that no one can predict how the electoral landscape will shift under such conditions of fatigue and hardship.