The Influence of Ruling Party/Opposition Dichotomy on Electoral Coalition Congruence in Argentina

Abstract

Recent studies have concluded that the electoral calendar and the nationalization of the party system are causal influences on the congruence of electoral coalitions. However, there is an important difference between ruling party and opposition. The fact that the government has constant exposure to the electorate, controls public resources, is able to “discipline” the governors, and enjoys the possibility of cartelizing the legislative power, all these factors places the party in a favorable position to have a more congruent electoral coalition strategy. For these same reasons, but on the contrary, opposition tends to fragment
and, therefore, their coalitions will tend to reflect local and differentiated scenarios. This research finds that in Argentina between 1983 and 2013, the electoral calendar and the nationalization of the party system do not alter the level of ruling party’s electoral coalition congruence. They only generate a causal impact on the opposition.