Argentine legislative election, 1954
Encyclopedia
The Argentine legislative election of 1954 was held on 25 April. Voters chose both their legislators and the Vice-President of Argentina; with a turnout of 86.0%, it produced the following results:
Congress
The death of his wife and closest advisor, Evita
, stuck President Juan Perón
amid serious difficulties. A severe drought in 1952 and years of pessimism in Argentina's important agrarian sector depleted foreign reserves and forced Perón to curtail public lending and spending programs. The recession (and a bumper crop
) did, however, allow Central Bank reserves to recover and brought inflation (50% in 1951) to single digits.
Controversy surrounding Perón's in-laws and political violence both by and against his Peronist movement had dogged the president in the first half of 1953, and he took the opportunity of upcoming legislative polls to test his popularity. The Argentine Constitution did not require it at the time; but the president announced a special election to replace the late Vice President, Hortensio Quijano
. Dr. Quijano had died in 1952 - days before the first lady - and, almost two years after the fact, Perón nominated Senator Alberto Teisaire
.
Teisaire was familiar to Perón from the 1943 coup d'état
; the former rear admiral
had helped retain the normally restive Navy
's support for the populist leader before and after Perón's 1946 election and, after eight years in the Senate
, he remained close to the military - a far from trivial consideration.
In the opposition since 15 years before Perón took office, the centrist UCR
had been burdened by censorship
and sundry forms of harassment since 1930, and 1953 had been marked by the jailing of most of their leaders. Among the few prominent figures in the party available to run for the vice-presidency was Crisólogo Larralde. Larralde had opposed the UCR's 1945 alliance with conservatives and socialists against Perón, and was a well-known figure in the UCR's dissident, pro-Perón "Renewal Group." This did not, however, ease the UCR's restriction to access to most mass media, and the party was defeated by similar numbers to their 1951 loss.
CongressArgentine Chamber of DeputiesThe Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress. This Chamber holds exclusive rights to create taxes, to draft troops, and to accuse the President, the ministers and the members of the Supreme Court before the Senate....
| Party/Electoral Alliance | Seats | % of votes |
|---|---|---|
| Peronist Party | 140 | 64.3% |
| Radical Civic Union Radical Civic Union The Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina... |
12 | 32.3% |
| Others | 5 | 3.4% |
| Invalid votes | 2.1% | |
| Total | 157 | 100.0% |
Vice Presidency
| Party/Electoral Alliance | Seats | % of votes |
|---|---|---|
| Peronist Party | 4,944,106 | 63.8% |
| Radical Civic Union Radical Civic Union The Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina... |
2,493,422 | 32.2% |
| Others | 305,956 | 4.0% |
| Invalid votes | 163,374 | 2.1% |
| Total | 7,906,858 | 100.0% |
Background
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to as simply Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.She was born in the village of Los Toldos in...
, stuck President Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
amid serious difficulties. A severe drought in 1952 and years of pessimism in Argentina's important agrarian sector depleted foreign reserves and forced Perón to curtail public lending and spending programs. The recession (and a bumper crop
Bumper crop
In agriculture, a bumper crop refers to a particularly productive harvest yielded for a particular crop.Example: "With all the rain we've had over the last few months, we are expecting a bumper crop this year."...
) did, however, allow Central Bank reserves to recover and brought inflation (50% in 1951) to single digits.
Controversy surrounding Perón's in-laws and political violence both by and against his Peronist movement had dogged the president in the first half of 1953, and he took the opportunity of upcoming legislative polls to test his popularity. The Argentine Constitution did not require it at the time; but the president announced a special election to replace the late Vice President, Hortensio Quijano
Hortensio Quijano
Dr. Juan Hortensio Quijano was the Vice President of Argentina under President Juan Perón from 1946 until his 1952 death in Buenos Aires.Quijano was born in Corrientes Province in 1884, and enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires, where he graduated in 1908 and received a juris doctor in 1919...
. Dr. Quijano had died in 1952 - days before the first lady - and, almost two years after the fact, Perón nominated Senator Alberto Teisaire
Alberto Teisaire
Alberto Teisaire was an Argentine Navy officer and Vice President of Argentina.-Life and Times:Alberto Teisaire was born in 1891 to Eduardo Teisaire and Clementina Cejas de Teisaire, in Mendoza, Argentina. He enrolled in the Argentine Naval Academy in 1908 and, upon graduation in 1912, was...
.
Teisaire was familiar to Perón from the 1943 coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
; the former rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
had helped retain the normally restive Navy
Argentine Navy
The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
's support for the populist leader before and after Perón's 1946 election and, after eight years in the Senate
Argentine Senate
The Argentine Senate is the upper house of the Argentine National Congress. It has 72 senators: three for each province and three for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires...
, he remained close to the military - a far from trivial consideration.
In the opposition since 15 years before Perón took office, the centrist UCR
UCR
UCR may refer to:* University of California, Riverside* Unified Cornish Revised, a variety of the Cornish language* Uniform Crime Reports* Under color removal* University of Costa Rica* Unión Cívica Radical, an Argentine political party...
had been burdened by censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
and sundry forms of harassment since 1930, and 1953 had been marked by the jailing of most of their leaders. Among the few prominent figures in the party available to run for the vice-presidency was Crisólogo Larralde. Larralde had opposed the UCR's 1945 alliance with conservatives and socialists against Perón, and was a well-known figure in the UCR's dissident, pro-Perón "Renewal Group." This did not, however, ease the UCR's restriction to access to most mass media, and the party was defeated by similar numbers to their 1951 loss.