Chaco became the first province in the country to suspend the Open, Simultaneous, and Mandatory Primaries (PASO) ahead of the 2027 elections, after the provincial Legislature approved the initiative promoted by Governor Leandro Zdero. The decision aligns with the agenda of President Javier Milei, who seeks to advance at the national level with the elimination of primaries as one of his proposals for electoral reform.
The initiative was approved in the Chaco Chamber of Deputies with 17 votes in favor and none against, while a large part of the opposition legislators from the Frente Chaqueño, of Peronist and Kirchnerist origin, were absent from the session.
Governor Leandro Zdero with President Javier Milei
The law establishes a one-year suspension of Law 2073-Q, meaning that the PASO have not been definitively eliminated in Chaco, but will be rendered ineffective for the next provincial electoral process.
One of the main arguments used by Zdero was the cost that organizing an additional election represents for public finances. According to provincial estimates, the suspension will save nearly $5 billion, funds that, as part of the agreement reached during the legislative process, will be allocated to the pediatric hospital in Resistencia.
The measure also has political relevance due to the closeness between the Chaco governor and the national government. Zdero was one of the provincial leaders who electorally supported the liberal space during the legislative elections of 2025.
The governor came to power in 2023 after defeating in the first round the then Peronist governor, who is being prosecuted for fraudulent administration, Jorge Capitanich, putting an end to the predominance of Peronism in one of its historical strongholds.
The National Government emphasizes the high costs of a process that could be resolved through simple party primaries
In parallel, the Milei government aims to advance in Congress with a national electoral reform. Among the central points of the project is the elimination of the PASO, a mechanism that the ruling party considers costly for the state and that forces the financing of party internal elections with public resources that could be resolved within each political space.
In this way, Chaco supported the national debate and established the first provincial precedent heading towards 2027, while the Milei government proposes to transfer a similar reform to the electoral system of the entire country.
