Electoral system family
Argentina
Answer
PR
Source
National Electoral Code (Ley 19.945 Código Electoral Nacional), 1983-08-18(last amended 2009-03-27)
Art 158: Los diputados nacionales se elegir?n en forma directa por el pueblo de cada provincial y de la Capital Federal que se considerar?n a este fin como distritos elecotrales. Cada elector votar? solamente por una lista de candidatos oficializada cuyo n?mero ser? igual al el de los cargos a cubrir con m?s los suplentes previstos en art?culo 163 de la presente ley.
Comment
s 45 of the Constitution stipulates that 'the House of Deputies shall be composed of representatives directly elected by the people of the provinces … by simple plurality of votes'. The plain wording of the provision, however, flies in the face of arts 159 - 163 of the National Electoral Code, which prescribes a proportional representation system according to the d'Hondt formula. The literature on the Argentina's electoral system for its lower legislative chamber also identifies it as a proportional representation system, more specifically single-tier d'Hondt system (see LeDuc, Niemi, & Norris eds, Comparing Democracies: Elections and Voting in Global Perspective (Sage Publications, 1996) at p 55). An online article cites an academic text (Fayt, Carlos S, “Derecho Pol?tico”, The Law, Volume II, 11th edition - updated; Buenos Aires, p 184) by explaining that the 'simple plurality of votes' stipulated in s 45 of the Constitution means a relative majority and, more importantly, according to Manuel Augusto Montes de Oca, this term matters “to provide facilities to the Congresses and to impose on them that they do not turn into a sine qua non requirement the absolute majority”. In any case, it is clear that Argentina uses a Closed List PR system.
