Overview
- Provisional results from the municipal elections held on Sunday show the Frente Cívico winning most contested mayoralties across Santiago del Estero, with party leaders celebrating broad control.
- Mario Benavente was reported as the winner in the provincial capital and Llamil Abdala as the victor in La Banda, outcomes local outlets and the official party announced as they tallied early returns.
- Police turnout figures cited by local media placed early participation very low in some areas — about 15.3% in the Capital and 21.3% in La Banda — while provincial officials described the voting as peaceful and said participation was strong.
- Analysts and party figures said a split opposition helped the Frente Cívico: La Libertad Avanza emerged as the main opposition force in the capital and called for a united opposition after acknowledging the results.
- The municipal outcome reinforces a political order built since 2005 around Gerardo Zamora and has national resonance given continuing polls that show President Milei and La Libertad Avanza slightly ahead for 2027 plus separate regional stories such as a U.S.-conditioned Venezuela dialogue that excluded María Corina Machado and reported contacts to repatriate Lionel Messi to Rosario.