General elections were held in Argentina on 24 February 1946. They were the last for which only men were enfranchised. Voters chose both the president and their legislators.

Background Conservative rule, maintained through electoral fraud despite a moderate record, was brought to an end in a June 1943 coup d'état. Broadcasting "orders of the day" every morning on the radio, the new regime enjoyed little approval. The devastating 1944 San Juan earthquake presented an opportunity to regain lost goodwill and the regime moved quickly, involving the private sector through nationwide fund-raising, entrusted to the Labor Minister, Juan Perón. Perón enlisted celebrities for the effort, among which was a radio matinee star, Eva Duarte, who introduced herself to the Labor Minister by remarking that "nothing's missing, except a touch of Atkinson's". The effort's success and the rise of his ally, Edelmiro Farrell, within the junta, led to Perón's appointment as vice-president, which he leveraged in support of Argentina's struggling labor unions, particularly the CGT.

Perón's sudden clout led to growing rivalry among his junta colleagues, who had him arrested on October 9, a surprise move outdone by CGT leaders like retail workers' leader Ángel Borlenghi, the slaughterhouses' Cipriano Reyes, and Eva Duarte herself. Organizing a mass (and, at times, violent) demonstration for his release on the Plaza de Mayo, their October 17, 1945, mobilization marked a turning point in Argentine history: the creation of the Peronist movement. Capitulating to the political winds, the junta bestowed presidential powers on Perón, who initiated his program of mass nationalizations of institutions such as the universities and Central Bank. Calling elections for February 1946, Perón's opposition hastily arranged an alliance, the Democratic Union. Many in the centrist Radical Civic Union were steadfastly opposed to this ad hoc union with conservatives and the left, an intrinsic burden compounded by a white paper scathingly critical of Perón released by the U.S. Ambassador, Spruille Braden. The report, accusing Perón of fascist ties, allowed him to marginalize the Democratic Union (and their nominees José Tamborini and Enrique Mosca – the "tambourine and the fly"). He quickly reframed the argument as one between "Perón or Braden", making this his rallying cry and winning the 1946 elections handily.

Candidates for President Labor Party: Former Vice-president Juan Perón from Buenos Aires Province Democratic Union (UCR-led alliance): Former Congressman José Tamborini from the city of Buenos Aires

Results President

Chamber of Deputies

Results by province ProvinceLabour – UCR-JR – Indep.Radical Civic UnionNational DemocraticOthers Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Votes % SeatsBuenos Aires440,41954.9328 260,342 32.4714 50,815 6.340 50,269 6.270Buenos Aires City300,95550.1622 118,759 19.7910——— 180,315 30.050Catamarca14,73355.642 9,466 35.750 2,281 8.610———Córdoba124,02640.3710 117,098 38.115 57,547 18.730 8,581 2.790Corrientes33,81736.235 17,542 18.790 20,065 21.502 21,918 23.480Entre Ríos67,59842.946 59,024 37.493 28,576 18.150 2,232 1.420Jujuy15,34268.682 2,481 11.110 4,277 19.150 240 1.070La Rioja10,20653.632 7,477 39.290 1,347 7.080———Mendoza49,12947.554 25,333 24.522 17,230 16.680 11,626 11.250Salta28,72263.192 9,523 20.951 7,210 15.860———San Juan15,97033.282 7,281 15.170 9,821 20.460 14,920 31.091San Luis14,46044.712 6,239 19.290 11,644 36.001———Santa Fe194,79256.5113 71,872 20.855——— 78,059 22.641Santiago del Estero46,40851.824 28,313 31.622——— 14,833 16.560Tucumán82,66668.785 24,870 20.692 4,081 3.400 8,578 7.140 Total 1,439,243 51.19 109 765,620 27.23 44 214,894 7.64 3 391,571 13.93 2

Provincial governors Election of Provincial governorsElected: 14ProvinceElectedPartyMapBuenos AiresDomingo MercanteLabour PartyCatamarcaPacífico RodríguezLabour PartyCórdobaArgentino AuchterUCR – Junta RenovadoraCorrientesBlas Benjamín de la VegaUnión Cívica RadicalEntre RíosHéctor Domingo MayaLabour PartyJujuyAlberto IturbeUCR – Junta RenovadoraLa RiojaJosé Francisco de la VegaUCR – Junta RenovadoraMendozaFaustino PicalloUCR – Junta RenovadoraSaltaLucio Alfredo Cornejo LinaresUCR – Junta RenovadoraSan JuanJuan Luis AlvaradoLabour PartySan LuisRicardo Zavala OrtízUCR – Junta RenovadoraSanta FeWaldino SuárezLabour PartySantiago del EsteroAristóbulo MittelbachLabour PartyTucumánCarlos DomínguezLabour Party

References

Online references Todo Argentina