Argentine legislative election, 1914
Encyclopedia
The Argentine legislative elections of 1914 were held on 22 March. Voters chose their legislators, and with a turnout of 55.7%, it produced the following results:
Argentine Chamber of Deputies
had opened Congress to myriad opposition parties to the ruling Conservatives. The UCR, which had spearheaded efforts for the law's passage (thereby extending universal suffrage
to nearly all male citizens), emerged as the chief minority party in the Chamber of Deputies (Lower House); but remained doubtful as to the transparency of Senate and gubernatorial elections in a number of districts, notably the important Buenos Aires Province
. Advised to do so by their longtime leader, Hipólito Yrigoyen
, the UCR maintained their boycott of races beyond those of the Chamber of Deputies.
President Roque Sáenz Peña
's deteriorating health cast a pall over these elections, and his indefinite, February 12, 1914, leave transferred power provisionally to Vice President Victorino de la Plaza
; de la Plaza continued the ailing Sáenz Peña's policies in place, and elections proceeded on Sunday, March 22, as scheduled.
Amid somewhat lower turnout, results were mixed: The UCR continued to make gains in the Chamber of Deputies (Lower House of Congress), electing 19 of the 60 seats at stake. They fared particularly well in Entre Ríos
and Santa Fe Province
, in which latter they received more than twice the votes of Santa Fe native Lisandro de la Torre
's Southern League. The Socialist Party again defeated the UCR in the City of Buenos Aires, however, and by a wider margin than in 1913. Conservative Buenos Aires Province lawmaker Marcelino Ugarte, who had defeated the UCR in the 1913 Senate race, did so again in this year's gubernatorial contest, and became his party's effective leader. The Civic Union, representing those who broke from the UCR after its 1890 founding, continued to erode in influence, and following these elections, Honorio Pueyrredón
announced its reunification with the UCR.
Argentine Chamber of DeputiesArgentine 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 | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... (UCR) |
28 | 193,895 | 32.3% |
| Conservative | 25 | 63,062 | 10.8% |
| Socialist | 9 | 53,936 | 9.3% |
| National Civic Union National Civic Union (Argentina) The National Civic Union was an Argentine political party formed in 1891 as the result of a split in the Civic Union, and dissolved in 1916... |
6 | 21,131 | 3.6% |
| Democratic Union | 5 | 22,258 | 3.8% |
| Liberal Liberal Party of Corrientes The Liberal Party of Corrientes is a liberal conservative provincial political party in Corrientes Province, Argentina. Founded in 1856, it is the oldest political party in Argentina and in Latin America, the second oldest in the Americas.... /Autonomist Autonomist Party of Corrientes The Autonomist Party of Corrientes is a provincial political party in Argentina, Corrientes Province.... Pact (Corrientes Province Corrientes Province Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:... ) |
3 | 19,963 | 3.4% |
| Provincial | 2 | 21,339 | 3.7% |
| Southern League Lisandro de la Torre Lisandro de la Torre was an Argentine politician, born in Rosario, province of Santa Fe.De la Torre became a lawyer in 1890. His thesis about municipalities and communes, as well as other works of his, gave rise to the idea of municipal autonomy in Argentina, which was included in the Argentine... |
2 | 16,609 | 2.8% |
| Popular | 2 | 15,455 | 2.7% |
| Officialist | 2 | 12,544 | 2.2% |
| Democratic Democratic Party (Mendoza) The Democratic Party of Mendoza is a provincial conservative party in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It was founded around 1930.Since the return of the democracy in 1983, the party has been the third political force in Mendoza, except in 1999 when it won the second position in the elections.It is a... (Mendoza Province Mendoza Province The Province of Mendoza is a province of Argentina, located in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders to the north with San Juan, the south with La Pampa and Neuquén, the east with San Luis, and to the west with the republic of Chile; the international limit is... ) |
1 | 18,024 | 3.1% |
| Others | 35 | 124,299 | 21.3% |
| Total | 120 | 582,515 | 100.0% |
Background
The first elections following the 1912 enactment of the Sáenz Peña LawSáenz Peña Law
The Sáenz Peña Law was Law 8871 of Argentina, sanctioned by the National Congress on 10 February 1912, which established the universal, secret and mandatory male suffrage though the creation of an electoral list...
had opened Congress to myriad opposition parties to the ruling Conservatives. The UCR, which had spearheaded efforts for the law's passage (thereby extending universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
to nearly all male citizens), emerged as the chief minority party in the Chamber of Deputies (Lower House); but remained doubtful as to the transparency of Senate and gubernatorial elections in a number of districts, notably the important Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
. Advised to do so by their longtime leader, Hipólito Yrigoyen
Hipólito Yrigoyen
Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Irigoyen Alem was twice President of Argentina . His activism became the prime impetus behind the obtainment of universal suffrage in Argentina in 1912...
, the UCR maintained their boycott of races beyond those of the Chamber of Deputies.
President Roque Sáenz Peña
Roque Sáenz Peña
Roque Sáenz Peña Lahitte was President of Argentina from 12 October 1910 to 9 August 1914, when he died in office...
's deteriorating health cast a pall over these elections, and his indefinite, February 12, 1914, leave transferred power provisionally to Vice President Victorino de la Plaza
Victorino de la Plaza
Victorino de la Plaza y Palacios was President of Argentina from 9 August 1914 to 11 October 1916.Second son of José Roque Mariano de la Plaza Elejalde and Manuela de la Silva Palacios; his older brother, Rafael de la Plaza, was also a politician and acted as governor of Santiago del Estero...
; de la Plaza continued the ailing Sáenz Peña's policies in place, and elections proceeded on Sunday, March 22, as scheduled.
Amid somewhat lower turnout, results were mixed: The UCR continued to make gains in the Chamber of Deputies (Lower House of Congress), electing 19 of the 60 seats at stake. They fared particularly well in Entre Ríos
Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos is a northeastern province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires , Corrientes and Santa Fe , and Uruguay in the east....
and Santa Fe Province
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
, in which latter they received more than twice the votes of Santa Fe native Lisandro de la Torre
Lisandro de la Torre
Lisandro de la Torre was an Argentine politician, born in Rosario, province of Santa Fe.De la Torre became a lawyer in 1890. His thesis about municipalities and communes, as well as other works of his, gave rise to the idea of municipal autonomy in Argentina, which was included in the Argentine...
's Southern League. The Socialist Party again defeated the UCR in the City of Buenos Aires, however, and by a wider margin than in 1913. Conservative Buenos Aires Province lawmaker Marcelino Ugarte, who had defeated the UCR in the 1913 Senate race, did so again in this year's gubernatorial contest, and became his party's effective leader. The Civic Union, representing those who broke from the UCR after its 1890 founding, continued to erode in influence, and following these elections, Honorio Pueyrredón
Honorio Pueyrredón
Honorio Pueyrredón was an Argentine lawyer, university professor, diplomat and politician.Born in San Pedro, Buenos Aires, Pueyrredón graduated at the Faculty of Law of the University of Buenos Aires in 1896, were he would also later teach.Originally affiliated to the National Civic Union, he...
announced its reunification with the UCR.