Party-building and supporting coalitions. The construction of the political bases for a pro-market program in Argentina (2015-2018)

VOMMARO, GABRIEL; GENÉ, MARIANA

New Orleans

Congreso; REPAL Annual Meeting 2019; 2019

REPAL y Tulane University

Republican Proposal (PRO) is the first competitive pro-market party in Argentina since the first decades of the 20th century. It came to power in 2015 as part of the coalition Cambiemos, an alliance comprising PRO, the Radical Civic Union (UCR), which provided territorial coverage, Elisa Carrió?s personal vehicle Civic Coalition and some minor parties. However, PRO controlled the main areas of government and especially the general orientation of public policies and electoral strategy.We first analyze each of the endogenous and exogenous difficulties encountered by the PRO government, namely the relationships among the political parties forming the coalition, the party?s coordination with the business world,and how the policy legacies from previous center-left governments affect mobilization and blocking capacities. We then study how these factors influenced the party?s ability to garner support for government policies at three important junctures: 1) the party assuming office in 2015; 2) the legislative elections of 2017 and subsequent attempts to pass some reforms;, and 3) the economic crises and the agreement reached with the IMF in 2018. These are the main turning points of the government in terms of policies. Our analysis also illustrates the decision-making process during the Cambiemos administration that attempted, on the one hand, to strengthen the administration?s supporting coalition, and, on the other, to overcome resistance and sustain social governability. Finally, our analysis shows how the government lost several resources and experienced a loss of agency.