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Union for the Homeland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Union for Homeland.
Union for the Homeland
Unión por la Patria
LeadersCristina Fernández de Kirchner
Sergio Massa
Juan Grabois
Senate leaderJuliana Di Tullio (UC)
José Mayans (FNyP)
Chamber of Deputies leaderGermán Martínez
Founded14 June 2023 (2023-06-14)
Preceded byFrente de Todos
IdeologyPeronism[1]
Factions:
Kirchnerism[2]
Federal Peronism[2]
Political positionCenter[3] to centre-left[1]
Colours  Blue   White   Yellow
(Argentine national colours)
SloganLa patria sos vos. Vamos a defenderla.
("You are the Homeland. Let's defend it.")[4]
Chamber of Deputies
99 / 257
Senate
33 / 72
Governors
7 / 24
Website
porlapatria.org[usurped]

The Union for the Homeland (Spanish: Unión por la Patria, UP) is a political and electoral coalition of Peronist political parties in Argentina. It has been the main opposition coalition since December 2023.

The coalition was formed to compete in the 2023 general election,[5] and is a successor to the previous Frente de Todos coalition, whose candidate in the 2019 presidential election, Alberto Fernández, was successfully elected President of Argentina.[6] The coalition is centred on the Justicialist Party and its allies both on the federal and provincial levels, including the Renewal Front of Sergio Massa, who was the coalition's candidate for president in the 2023 presidential election.[7][8]

History

[edit]

Background

[edit]
Main article: 2019 Argentine general election

In the run-up to the 2019 presidential election, the Kirchnerist faction of the Justicialist Party arranged for the establishment of a common Peronist electoral front. This project ultimately materialized with the formation of the Frente de Todos coalition, which comprised the Justicialist majority along with a number of other parties of the political left and centre. This alliance was itself a successor to both the short-lived Citizen's Unity bloc formed for the 2017 midterm elections as well as the Front for Victory, which served as the political instrument of the Kirchnerist political camp between 2003 and 2017. The alliance presented Alberto Fernández as its sole candidate in the 2019 presidential primaries, in which he secured just under 48% of the vote. In the subsequent general election, Fernández again garnered 48% of the vote, against the 40% of incumbent president Mauricio Macri of the Juntos por el Cambio coalition, ousting the sitting administration and returning the Peronists to power after four years in the opposition.[9] Fernández, along with his vice president, the former President of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, went on to govern the country for the ensuing four-year period. Halfway through this term, the Frente de Todos coalition suffered a significant defeat in the 2021 Argentine legislative election, losing seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and thereby losing control of Congress for the first time in nearly 40 years.[10]

2023 election

[edit]
Main article: 2023 Argentine general election

In April 2023, President Alberto Fernandez announced that he would not seek re-election in the next presidential election.[11] In the primary elections in August of that year, Sergio Massa defeated Juan Grabois by a margin of nearly 16 percentage points, although it became the worst result for a ruling Peronist coalition since the PASO was first implemented in 2009.[8]

In the runoff in November 2023, Libertarian candidate Javier Milei defeated Massa in the second round with 55.65% of the vote, the highest percentage since Argentina's transition to democracy. Massa conceded defeat shortly before the official results were published.[12][13]

Tensions and Realignments

[edit]

In July 2024, several governors and key figures of Peronism including Cristina Kirchner and Axel Kicillof, distanced themselves from President Javier Milei’s proposed “Pacto de Mayo”.[14]

In November 2024, Cristina Kirchner was declared President of the Justicialist Party after Ricardo Quintela withdrew from the race. This solidified her role as the central figure in the Peronist movement, though internal divisions remained significant.[15]

Both the Massa and Kicillof factions announced plans to run with separate lists in the 2025 legislative elections, deepening internal fractures and setting the stage for a more visibly fragmented coalition.[16]

Fragmentation and Strategic Reorientation

[edit]

In early 2025, the suspension of the national primaries (PASO) triggered further internal conflict. At least 25 UP lawmakers supported the government’s initiative in the Chamber of Deputies, revealing fractures in the party’s united front.[17]

In March 2025, four UP senators broke away to form their own bloc called “Convicción Federal”, led by Fernando Salino. The new group aimed to express a more autonomous and federalist vision within Peronism.[18]

On March 26, Senator Teresa García introduced a bill in the Buenos Aires City Senate to abolish the primaries and align local elections with national ones. This proposal gained support from both Kirchnerist and Massa-aligned legislators, demonstrating tactical cooperation despite broader strategic differences.[19]

At the same time, UP advanced its own version of the “Clean Record” reform (similar to “Ficha Limpia”), opposing the government’s stance. Their proposal stated that a candidate should only be disqualified after a final ruling by the Supreme Court, a move widely seen as a defensive measure in support of Cristina Kirchner.[20]

For the May 2025 midterm elections in Buenos Aires City, UP rebranded its local coalition as “Es Ahora Buenos Aires”, with Leandro Santoro as its main candidate. The new alliance included the PJ, Kirchnerist groups, and moderate radical sectors, promoting a centrist platform while sharply criticizing the government for what they called its “cruelty.”[21][22]

In May 2025, Cristina Kirchner called for a strategic renewal of the political space. She proposed shifting away from the traditional “strong state” model to one focused on efficiency, productivity, and innovation. She also issued a mea culpa for losing touch with the electorate and acknowledged UP’s regional defeats.[23]

Ideology

[edit]

Union for the Homeland is a Peronist[1] coalition, along with its internal currents, Federal Peronism[2] and Kirchnerism.[2] Experts on the subject claim that the coalition exhibits right-wing populist characteristics associated with Peronism,[24] while others argue that it is a left-wing populist alliance.[25][26] The coalition includes communist,[27] conservative,[28] Catholic[29] and progressive parties.[30] Despite it broad character, the coalition has extensive ties with the trade union General Confederation of Labour,[25] The party's ideology has also been described as labourist and nationalist, in line with Peronism.[31]

Political position

[edit]

The coalition has been described as left-wing,[32] centre-left,[1][33][32][34] center,[3][35][34][36][37] centre-right[36][37] and right-wing.[38] It has also been described as big tent.[39] It is formed by parties ranging from the left to the right.[40][41][42]

Although the media predominantly characterize it as a center-left coalition,[43][44][45][46] scholars contend that there has been a relatively sustained shift to the right,[a] marked by increasingly conservative presidential candidacies,[47] and the concealment of the center-left Kirchnerist faction.[48]

Member parties

[edit]
Party Leader Ideology
Justicialist Party Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Peronism
Renewal Front[49] Sergio Massa Federal Peronism
Syncretism
Party of Culture, Education and Labour Hugo Moyano Federal Peronism
Labourism
Federal Commitment Alberto Rodríguez Saá Federal Peronism
Kolina Alicia Kirchner Kirchnerism
Victory Party Diana Conti Social democracy
Kirchnerism
New Encounter Martín Sabbatella Progressivism
Somos Victoria Donda Socialist feminism
Proyecto Sur Jorge Selser Progressivism[50]
Broad Front Adriana Puiggrós Kirchnerism
Social democracy
Peronism
Solidary Party Carlos Heller Co-operatism
Socialism
Popular Unity Víctor De Gennaro [es] Socialism of the 21st century
Left-wing nationalism
National Alfonsinist Movement Leopoldo Moreau Social democracy
K Radicalism[51]
FORJA Gustavo Fernando López [es] Social democracy
K Radicalism[52]
Communist Party Victor Kot Communism
Marxism–Leninism
Guevarism
Communist Party (Extraordinary Congress) Pablo Pereyra Communism
Marxism–Leninism
Revolutionary Communist Party Juan Carlos Alderete Communism
Marxism–Leninism–Maoism
Intransigent Party Enrique Gustavo Cardesa Democratic socialism
Patria Grande Front Juan Grabois Socialism of the 21st century
Feminism
Kirchnerism[53]
La patria de los comunes Emilio Pérsico Kirchnerism[54]
Protector Political Force[55] José Luis Ramón Social democracy
Conservative People's Party[56] Marco Michelli Federal Peronism

Electoral performance

[edit]

Presidential elections

[edit]
Election year Candidate First round Second round Result
Votes % Votes %
2023 Sergio Massa 9,853,492 36.78 (#1) 11,598,720 44.35 (#2) Lost

Legislative elections

[edit]

Chamber of Deputies

[edit]
Election year Leader Votes % Seats won Position
2023 Germán Martínez 9,298,491 37.88
58 / 130
 Opposition

Senate

[edit]
Election year Leader Votes % Seats won Position
2023 José Mayans 5,076,244 43.72
13 / 24
 Opposition

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Scholars who place Unión por la Patria further to the right generally consider it a centrist,[3][35][36] center-right,[36] or right-wing[38] alliance.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Iglesias Seifert, Demian (18 August 2023). "Has Right-Wing Populism Reached Argentina?". Verfassungsblog: On Matters Constitutional (342): 1. doi:10.17176/20230818-182853-0. The candidates in the main opposition coalition, United for Change (a conservative centre-right movement), obtained 28% and the current governing coalition Union for the Homeland (Peronist, centre left coalition) 27% of the votes, respectively.
  2. ^ a b c d CEAPI (2023-07-03). "Claves de América Latina, tras el primer semestre de 2023". CEAPI (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-08.
  3. ^ a b c Cieza, Daniel; Giorgetti, Daniel; Beyreuther, Verónica; Bosisio, Walter; Agostino, Emiliano; Rodríguez, Tania; Strada, Julia (October 2023). Lance, Florencia (ed.). "Trabajo y Derechos Humanos" (PDF). Observatorio de Trabajo y Derechos Humanos (in Spanish) (13) (Año 8 ed.). Facultad de Ciencias Sociales - Universidad de Buenos Aires. ISSN 2469-1542. En el balotaje aparecen dos escenarios posibles: un triunfo de una amplia alianza centrista conducida por Massa o una victoria de Milei con el apoyo del Macrismo. [There are two possible scenarios in the runoff: a victory for a broad centrist alliance led by Massa or a victory for Milei with the support of Macri.]
  4. ^ "Uno por uno, todos los spots de campaña de los precandidatos a Presidente". www.cronista.com (in Spanish). 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  5. ^ "Elecciones Argentina 2023: "Unión por la Patria" es el nuevo nombre del Frente de Todos". Página12 (in Spanish). 14 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Argentine incumbent Mauricio Macri concedes defeat in presidential vote". CNBC. 27 October 2019.
  7. ^ Múgica Díaz, Joaquín (14 June 2023). "Unión por la Patria es el nuevo nombre elegido por el Frente de Todos para las elecciones". Infobae (in Spanish).
  8. ^ a b Goñi, Uki (2023-08-14). "Far-right outsider takes shock lead in Argentina primary election". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  9. ^ Watson, Katy (28 October 2019). "Argentina election: Centre-left Alberto Fernández wins presidency". BBC.
  10. ^ Bronstein, Hugh; Misculin, Nicolás (15 November 2021). "Argentina's Peronists on the ropes after bruising midterm defeat". Reuters.
  11. ^ "Argentina's President Fernandez will not seek re-election". Al-Jazeera. 21 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Balotaje 2023, en vivo: los resultados y las noticias minuto a minuto de las elecciones". LA NACION (in Spanish). 19 November 2023. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  13. ^ Tagliabúe, Leonardo (19 November 2023). "Contundente triunfo de Javier Milei: será el próximo presidente de la Argentina". Infobae (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  14. ^ https://www.baenegocios.com/politica/Pacto-de-Mayo-Dos-expresidentes-y-cinco-gobernadores-alineados-en-Union-por-la-Patria-anunciaron-su-desercion-20240707-0037.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ Lorca, Javier (2024-11-07). "Cristina Kirchner se queda sin oposición interna y logra la presidencia del partido peronista". El País Argentina (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  16. ^ infocielo, Redacción (2024-10-11). "Tensión en Unión por la Patria: El massismo competirá con listas propias en 2025". Infocielo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  17. ^ "Diputados. ¿Cómo quedó dividido Unión por la Patria con la suspensión de las PASO?". La Izquierda Diario - Red internacional (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  18. ^ www.eldia.com, Diario El Dia de La Plata. "Diario El Dia de La Plata www.eldia.com". www.eldia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  19. ^ M, Micaela (2025-03-26). "La presidenta del bloque de Unión por la Patria presentó en el Senado de la Ciudad un proyecto para eliminar las PASO" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  20. ^ Cayón, Por David (2025-02-11). "Unión por la Patria cierra filas y el oficialismo cede en busca de conseguir media sanción a Ficha Limpia". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  21. ^ "Así es la lista de Es Ahora Buenos Aires (ex Unión por la Patria) en CABA 2025". LA NACION (in Spanish). 2025-05-16. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  22. ^ "Adorni ganó en la Ciudad, pero el dato central fue el voto fragmentado: Santoro segundo y el PRO en su piso histórico". La Opinión OnLine (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  23. ^ Molina, Federico Rivas (2025-05-27). "Cristina Kirchner llama al peronismo a cambiar la idea de "Estado presente" por "Estado eficiente"". El País Argentina (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  24. ^ Contreras Sosa, Hugo; Delgado Toral, Gabriel (27 July 2023). "¿Qué representa la candidatura de Massa a la presidencia argentina?". El Economista.
  25. ^ a b Walter, Jan D. (25 April 2024). "Amid Argentina's protests, are Javier Milei's days numbered?". Deutsche Welle. For instance, in January, the nation's largest union, CGT, called for a general strike. The CGT is closely tied to the populist left-wing, Peronist Union por la Patria (Union for the Homeland).
  26. ^ Moore, Dominic (14 August 2023). "Trump-Supporting Libertarian Outsider Scores Shock Win in Argentina's Presidential Primary". Spangld. Voters punished Union for the Homeland (Unión por la Patria, UP), the ruling left-wing populist coalition of President Alberto Fernández, who has presided over a crushing cost-of-living crisis that's left 40% of Argentines in poverty amid 116% inflation.
  27. ^ "Jorge Kreyness: "Estamos en Unión por la Patria porque no somos una izquierda sectaria"". CNN (in Spanish). 16 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  28. ^ Katz, Claudio (2023-09-02). "Los dilemas de la izquierda ante las elecciones argentinas". Jacobin Revista (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  29. ^ "Juan Grabois: 'Massa is my internal rival but my political enemies are Bullrich and Morales' | Buenos Aires Times". www.batimes.com.ar. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  30. ^ "What Do Young Libertarians Think about Argentina's Javier Milei?". National Review. 2023-08-21. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  31. ^ Rosenthal, Sophia (21 October 2023). "Javier Milei: The Presidential Candidate that Has Shocked Argentina". McGill International Review.
  32. ^ a b Lake, Tom (August 2023). "MNI POLITICAL RISK ANALYSIS-Argentina PASO Preview" (PDF). Political Risk (55245). London: 2. Union for the Homeland – Unión por la Patria – UP – Peronist, centre-left/left-wing – Founded: 2023 – Chamber of Deputies: 118/257 – Senate: 31/72.
  33. ^ Jütten, Marc (27 November 2023). "Argentina: Outcome of the 2023 elections – Beginning of a new era?" (PDF). At a Glance. European Parliament: 1. The big losers in the primaries were the Peronists, the ruling centre-left 'Union for the Homeland' (Union por la Patria/UP), who gained just 27.3 % of the votes – a historically bad result (compared to 47 % in 2019).
  34. ^ a b Lake, Tom; Lewis, Jack. "MINI POLITICAL RISK ANALYSIS-Argentina PASO Preview" (PDF). Market News. Alliance: Union for the Homeland (Unión por la Patria) – UP – Peronism, centre-left, centrism, Kirchnerism.
  35. ^ a b Ansaldi, Waldo. "Si ven el futuro, díganle que no venga" (PDF). Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México: 30.«Invirtiendo las posiciones, la fórmula Sergio Massa-Agustín Rossi (UxP, centro) obtuvo 36.7% contra Javier Milei-Victoria Villarruel (LLA, extrema derecha), 30%, y Patricia Bullrich Luro Pueyrredón-Luis Petri (JxC, derecha, ahora virando a la extrema), 23.8%. »
  36. ^ a b c d Pascual, Rodrigo Federico (November 2023). "Argentina, al fondo a la derecha. El escenario nacional post PASO 2023". Conicet. 5 (9): 529–566. doi:10.32399/ICSYH.bvbuap.2954-4300.2023.5.9.664. ISSN 2954-4300.«[..] la centroderecha de Juntos por el Cambio (Bullrich y Larreta) alcanzó el 28% y el centro(derecha) representado por Unión por la Patria (Massa y Grabois) logró el 27,28 [..]»
  37. ^ a b "MainStay Candriam Emerging Markets Debt Fund Annual Report" (PDF). New York Life Investments. Sergio Massa (center to center-right, Peronist alliance) and Javier Milei (independent libertarian populist)
  38. ^ a b Bonnet, Alberto (2023-11-01). "A los cachetazos: diez notas sobre las elecciones primarias de 2023 en Argentina". Bajo el Volcán. Revista del Posgrado de Sociología. Buap (in Spanish). 5 (9): 513–528. doi:10.32399/ICSYH.bvbuap.2954-4300.2023.5.9.663. ISSN 2954-4300.
  39. ^ Mauri, Odile Gaset. "La Argentina camino al Balotaje 2023" (PDF). Public and Corporate Solutions LATAM.«El actual oficialismo es una versión más clásica del peronismo catch-all. y se presenta en estas elecciones encabezado por el actual ministro de Economía Sergio Massa, bajo el rótulo de Unión por la Patria, llevando unidas a tres grandes corrientes peronistas: el kirchnerismo, el massismo y el peronismo más tradicional del interior del país, encarnado en los gobernadores y las organizaciones gremiales. »
  40. ^ Estado, Agência (2023-11-05). "Eleições na Argentina: PT formaliza apoio a Massa em disputa contra Milei". Política (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  41. ^ "The Argentinian Chainsaw Massacre - Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung". Rosa-Lux. 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
  42. ^ Jaureguy, Martina (2023-07-21). "Your guide to Argentina's coalitions". Buenos Aires Herald. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
  43. ^ Lorca, Javier (2024-07-28). "The mystery of Argentina's gold: Milei admits that it was transferred abroad, without specifying the quantities or destination". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  44. ^ Heath, Maximilian (2023-10-16). "Argentina election 2023: what you need to know". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  45. ^ Elman, Juan (9 August 2023). "Young people's anger fuels far-right populist as Argentina's election nears". openDemocracy. Unlike in past years, when political alliances had no real internal competition, this time there are battles for the nominations of the two main groupings: Union for the Homeland, the Peronist centre-left alliance that is currently in government, and Together for Change, the centre-right opposition alliance founded by former president Mauricio Macri.
  46. ^ Alcoba, Natalie (15 August 2023). "Argentina primary results reflect frustrations, desire for change: Experts". Al Jazeera. The traditional right-of-centre coalition Juntos por el Cambio (Together for Change) earned 28 percent of the vote in the primaries, while the ruling centre-left Peronist coalition, known as Union por la Patria (Union for the Homeland), clinched 27 percent.
  47. ^ Varesi, Gastón Ángel (2024). "Crisis, hegemonía y relaciones de fuerzas. Del contexto latinoamericano al caso de Argentina en el siglo XXI". Antrópica revista de ciencias sociales y humanidades (in Spanish). 10 (20): 197–222. doi:10.32776/arcsh.v10i20.458.
  48. ^ "El ascenso de Milei en Argentina y las nuevas extremas derechas de América Latina*". Javeriana (in Spanish).
  49. ^ "El PJ apoya la fórmula Alberto Fernández-Cristina Kirchner: "La unidad es el camino"". 18 May 2019.
  50. ^ "Proyecto Sur. Movimiento político, social y cultural". 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009 – via proyecto-sur.org.
  51. ^ "El ascenso de Moreau, la nueva figura del universo kirchnerista". 16 August 2017.
  52. ^ Arias, Mariela (17 June 2019). "Tierra del Fuego: Melella se impuso a Bertone en primera vuelta". La Nación.
  53. ^ "Un frente antineoliberal". Página/12 (in Spanish). 27 October 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  54. ^ "Los Movimientos sociales lanzaron el partido La Patria de los Comunes: críticas al Gobierno y respaldo a CFK" [Social movements started the party "La patria de los comunes": criticism to the government and support to CFK] (in Spanish). TN. March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  55. ^ Mozetic, Daniela (14 July 2021). "Mendoza: Frente de Todos sumó a José Luis Ramón y quiere encabezar la lista de diputados". Perfil (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  56. ^ "Quiénes son los 'dueños' de los 16 partidos que integran UP, Unión por la Patria". Memo (in Spanish). 16 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
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