Argentina » Politics

Argentina's political framework is a federal presidential representative democratic republic, in which the President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government, complemented by a pluriform multi-party system. The Argentine Constitution of 1853, as revised in 1994, mandates a separation of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches at the national and provincial level.

Executive power resides in the President and his cabinet. The President and Vice President are directly elected to 4-year terms, limited to two consecutive terms, and the cabinet ministers are appointed by the president.

Legislative power is vested in both the government and the parliament: the bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Nación consisting of a Senate (Senado) of 72 seats, and a Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados ) of 257 members. Senators serve 6-year terms, with one-third standing for reelection every 2 years. Members of the Chamber of Deputies are directly elected to 4-year term via a system of proportional representation, with half of the members of the lower house being elected every 2 years. A third of the candidates presented by the parties must be women.

The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Argentine Supreme Court of Justice has 9 members who are appointed by the President in consultation with the Senate. The rest of the judges are appointed by the Consejo de la Magistratura de la Nacion, a secretariat composed of representatives of judges, lawyers, the Congress, and the executive.

Argentina also belongs to Mercosur, an international bloc which has some legislative supranational functions. Mercosur is composed of four full members: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay; one more full member in the process of joining, Venezuela; and five asociated members: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.