The Argentine Republic Form of Government

The Argentine Republic has adopted the Representative, Republican and Federal form of government under its Constitution written in 1853 and amended in 1860, 1898, 1957 and 1994.

Argentina has a Representative form of government because it is governed by officials elected by the people; Republican because the officials are elected by popular vote, there is a division of power (Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branch) and it has adopted a written Constitution; and Federal because each Province maintains its autonomy in every issue except for those expressly delegated to the Federal Government by the Constitution.

The Argentine democratic system is divided into three branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Voting is compulsory and universal at age 18. The three branches exert control on each other to guarantee the decentralization of power and the system of check and balances.

Executive Branch: The President -who is also Chief of State and Head of Government- and the Vice President are elected on the same ticket by popular direct vote for a four-year term with the possibility of reelection for only one consecutive term. The Cabinet of Ministers, which consists of ten Ministers, is headed by a Chief of Cabinet appointed by the President with the approval of Congress.

Legislative Branch: The National Congress is bicameral. The Senate comprises 72 seats, three senators for each Province and three for the Nation’s Capital, the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. They are all elected by direct vote with one-third of the members elected every two years to a six-year term. Two of those seats are for the political party with the majority of votes and the remaining one for the party that comes in second. The Chamber of Deputies (House of Representatives) consists of 275 members elected by direct vote, half of them elected every two years to a four-year term.

Judicial Branch: The Supreme Court has nine Justices appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, Federal Courts of Appeals and several Federal Judges.

Government of the Provinces: Each province and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires elect its governors and legislators by popular vote. Likewise, it administers and maintains its own administration of justice.