MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Maquila vote in Tierra del Fuego helps the ruling coalition of president Fernandez

Carolina Yutrovic from the ruling coalition Everybody's Front garnered 39,67% of votes, while Hector Stefani from the opposition coalition, Together for a change, 28,92%

The two seats at stake in the Argentine Lower House representing the extreme south province of Tierra del Fuego, had their holders reelected comfortably last Sunday in the midterm election.

Carolina Yutrovic from the ruling coalition Everybody's Front garnered 39,67% of votes, 37,662, while Hector Stefani from the opposition coalition, Together for a change, 28,92% equivalent to 27,454 votes. Runner up was Liliana Fadul from Somos Fueguinos, a provincial party with 15.315 votes (16,13%)

The results however are a dramatic change from what happened last August 12, when each party held their mandatory PASO primaries, and the opposition Together for a Change shock-surprised as the dominating force in Tierra del Fuego, ahead of the incumbent Everybody's Front.

On Sunday Ms Yutrovic recovered some 10,000 votes, some ten percentage votes while Stefani lost some 6,000 votes. The other smaller provincial parties did not change the results.

Furthermore, the ruling coalition was the most voted in the three main cities of Tierra del Fuego. In Ushuaia, the score was 14,748 (35,04%) and 13,066 (31.05%9. In Tolhuin, Yutrovic garnered 1,519 votes (31.05%) and Stefani, 953 (28,82%), while in Rio Grande, 21,291 (43,28%) and 13,340 (26,99%), respectively

Since the official name of Tierra del Fuego province is, Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands, the personnel in the Argentine bases in Antarctica reported 95 votes (77,23%) for the opposition coalition with Somos Fueguinos, 16 votes, 13% runner up. The ruling coalition received only 4 votes.

Overall in Tierra del Fuego 100,478 turned up to vote which is 72% of the Electoral Register, and valid ballots totalled, 93,070, (92,6%). The number of void votes was 6,070, or 6,04% and blank votes 1,193, or 1,18%. All figures and percentages are normal in Argentina. At the August 12 PASO primary, void votes reached 9,370 and blank votes, 2,290.

Why the dramatic change in two months? Most probably because the government of President Alberto Fernandez promised and reopened some electronic gadgets assembly plants, maquilas, in the province, which means jobs and salaries above the average, although consumers will have to pay dearer for cellular phones, tablets, computers, etc., obviously of Chinese origin, despite the fact the presentation boxes will say “Made in Argentina”