Does the Seal Matter? The Partisan Role of National and Provincial Executives in Light of the Dissident Peronist Lists (1989-2009)

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of peronist presidents and governors in the formation of dissident peronist lists competing against the Partido Justicialista (PJ) official structure in national legislative elections. Much of the literature analyzing the PJ organizational features argues that peronist governors are the major political actors assembling of candidates’ lists for congressional elections and that intra-party competition within the PJ decreases in peronist districts. However, empirical evidence from the systematic study of peronist dissidence indicates that these proposals do not tell the entire story. The evidence hereby presented reveals that the president also plays a role in designing legislative tickets challenging the power of either governors or provincial party bosses, and that dissidence is more frequent in districts run by peronist governors than in provinces ruled by other parties.