Buenos Aires Province will hold no primary elections later this year after legislators voted to suspend it until a later date. The change follows the postponement of the national primaries, which was argued as a cost-cutting measure by the Javier Milei administration.

The primaries are known locally as the PASO (Primarias, Abiertas, Simultáneas y Obligatorias), and today’s announcement is another small win for Buenos Aires provincial Governor Axel Kicillof. The elections later this year will be a major test to see how his party and the Peronism bloc as a whole have regrouped since the election of Milei in 2023. The new announcement follows the splitting of local and national elections in the province, which was confirmed earlier in April. 

With no debate and several delays, the most recent of which following the death of Pope Francis last week, the Buenos Aires Legislature approved the bill, which had already been approved by the Senate.

These primaries were intended to select candidates for the 2025 legislative elections. Voters then will choose candidates for the Provincial Legislature, which includes 24 of the 46 seats of the Provincial Senate and 46 of the 92 seats of the Provincial Chamber of Deputies. These elections will determine the legislative map of the province, which plays a significant role in shaping provincial policies and laws. 

The Buenos Aires provincial governor has argued the reason for suspending the PASO would stop residents from having to go to the polls three times in 2025. Opposition members argued that Kicillof’s bill to suspend the PASO allows his ruling party more time to resolve behind-the-scenes struggles.

Lanús deputy for La Libertad Avanza, Sebastián Pascual said during the legislative session: “This delay in the decision to suspend the PASO was purely and exclusively the fault of the governor and his party due to the internal conflict [they are] having.”

Kicillof has not yet commented on the PASO suspension. But on Monday he did criticize Kristalina Georgieva, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on social media for her comments regarding the upcoming elections, stating that she had violated her “duty of impartiality.”