Chaco Governor Jorge Capitanich of the Partido Justicialista (PJ) was re-elected on Sunday by a margin of approximately 35 percentage points over his opponent, Roy Nikisch of the Unión Cívica Radical (UCR). With only 46 percent of the 2,654 polling stations counted, Capitanich claimed victory with 65.7 percent of the vote. The Governor was elected along with his running mate, Vice-Governor Juan Carlos Bacileff Ivanoff.
Capitanich—also called Coqui—left the UCR after he married Deputy Sandra Mendoza, a former provincial health minister from the Peronist Frente para la Victoria (FPV). Capitanich defeated Nikisch in 2007 in the campaign for governor as well, but in 2003, the Radicalist defeated Coqui for the governorship.
Jorge Capitanich announced his victory in a press conference surrounded by his family, his campaign team, Minister of Interior Florencio Randazzo, and Minister of Economy Amado Boudou—the running mate for President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK) in the presidential election on October 23. Capitanich dedicated his victory to CFK: “Chaqueños are supporting us for the future” and highlighting that “Chaco is part of the national political project.”
Chaco, located in northern Argentina, provides 60 percent of the country’s cotton production and is an important amount of wood, but it is one of poorest regions in Argentina. With 1,05 million inhabitants, more than half of the population—mainly indigenous—lives under the poverty line and more than a quarter lacks minimum conditions for survival.
