ArgentinaElectoral Blackout: More Than 11 Million Argentines Did Not Vote
Participation dropped to 67.85%, the lowest level since the return of democracy, with strong differences between regions.
The legislative elections held on Sunday, October 26, not only reshaped the national political map, consolidating La Libertad Avanza (LLA) as the fastest-growing force in Congress, but also highlighted a phenomenon that has been deepening in Argentina since 2017: the sustained decline in electoral participation.
According to official data, participation in the 2025 elections was 68%, below the 74% recorded in 2023. This trend persists even compared to the 2021 legislative election, although in that case the drop was 0.38 percentage points.
In total, 11.47 million of the 35.9 million eligible voters did not go to vote on Sunday. This is the lowest participation level since the return of democracy, a figure that reflects the context of fragmentation and political polarization that marked the election.
Participation falls in almost the entire country
The decrease was recorded in most provinces, with more pronounced drops in electorally significant districts such as Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and the City of Buenos Aires. In contrast, medium-sized and northern provinces, such as Catamarca, Jujuy, or San Juan, showed greater stability compared to previous elections.
These differences consolidate a pattern observed in recent years: participation tends to decrease more in urban centers and remain relatively stable in less populated provinces. Overall, the 2025 results confirm a trend of lower electoral involvement at the national level, although with diverse territorial dynamics among regions of the country.
On the political front, the government managed to capitalize on part of the electorate that did show up at the polls. With more than 9 million votes, LLA obtained 64 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and expanded its representation in the Senate from 6 to 19 seats, securing the one-third needed to uphold presidential vetoes.