Government
The great country of Argentina was born after winning its independence from Spain in 1816. The Argentine Republic, or as it is officially called in Spanish, Republica Argentina, is a presidential republic. Argentina’s capital is the city of Buenos Aries. What is shocking is how the government of Argentina is eerily similar to the United States of America. Argentina uses a three branch form of government; executive, legislative, and judicial.
The Executive Branch consists of a president, vice president, and the cabinet. The president and vice president run on the same ballot and are voted in for four year terms with a maximum of two consecutive terms. In this election, there can be two rounds. The first round is with all the candidates, and the second round is initiated if no formula gets more than 45% of the vote, or more than 40% of the vote with a difference of 10 percentage points from the second formula. The second round is between the top two candidates from the first round; the winner is whoever gets a simple majority. The first round is held on the fourth Tuesday of October and the second round is held on the Fourth Tuesday of November. Voting is mandatory for everyone between the ages of 18 and 70. If you are 16 or 17, voting is optional. If you choose not to vote, you can be fined between 5 and 50 Argentine Pesos.
The Legislative Branch is a bicameral National Congress and consists of two chambers, the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies. The Senate has 72 seats. Each member is elected by a simple majority and represents their constituency for six year terms. However, a third of the Senate is up for re-election every two years. The Chamber of Deputies has 257 seats. Each member is elected to represent their constituency through proportional representation. Members serve four year terms but half of the Chamber of Deputies is up for re-election every two years.
The Judicial Branch consists of the Supreme Court and many subordinate courts such as district and provincial courts. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges; the court president, vice-president, and 5 other judges. Justices are nominated by the president and then approved by the Senate. Judges can serve for life until they reach mandatory retirement at age 75.
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