ABSTRACT
The Argentine political system is presidential, federal and bicameral since its first constitution of 1953. As a presidential system, the chief executive is both the head of state and the head of the government, is granted almost total control over the cabinet and is elected for a fixed term, then independent from Congress in terms of duration in office. The national Congress has two chambers: The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Beyond the common prerogatives granted by presidentialism, such as election and survival independent from Congress and dominance over the cabinet, these presidents suffer almost no restrictions on ministerial selection and removal, they enjoy important decree powers that increase their autonomy, and perform in a two party system that reduces the pressures for coalition bargaining. The administration life cycle also ran differently for Radical Civil Union (UCR) and Justicialist, or Peronist-party (PJ) presidents. Primarily, portfolio allocation was intended to ensure good government performance.
