The Frente Cívico led by Senator Gerardo Zamora won the municipal elections in the 26 districts where mayors and councilors were elected in Santiago del Estero. The result expanded the provincial government's territorial control and added an unprecedented victory in La Banda, the second city of the province, where Zamorismo had never before achieved the mayor's office in a local election.
In the provincial capital, Mario Benavente achieved a large victory for Frente Cívico. The candidate from La Libertad Avanza, María Beatriz Yunes, came in second with slightly more than 12% of the votes, while the leader of PRO, Facundo Pérez Carletti, took third place with just over 11%. The opposition division facilitated the difference for the ruling party.
In La Banda, Llamil Abdala surpassed 50% and secured the first municipal victory for Zamora's faction in that city. Pablo Mirolo, from Frente Renovador, reached 12,53%, and the mayor Roger Nediani obtained 11,41%. La Libertad Avanza finished sixth, in a district where competition among opposition leaders left the ruling party with a decisive advantage.
Voter turnout was higher than 70% in the provincial average. In localities where Frente Cívico had two candidates, competitions between radical and Peronist sectors that belong to the same coalition were reactivated. Combined, those candidates exceeded 70 points, which showed that the internal dispute did not reduce the general predominance of the governing front.
At the provincial level, Frente Cívico gathered 66% of the votes and recorded peaks close to 100% when adding the results of its different expressions. In Bandera, an agricultural area where Javier Milei had surpassed Sergio Massa in 2023, only one candidate competed for mayor. La Libertad Avanza remained as the second provincial force, although it only presented candidates in some cities.
The result reaffirmed Zamora's leadership and supported Governor Elías Suárez's administration, who had taken office the previous year. The election confirmed complete municipal dominance, but its percentages should be read within a local competition with different offers in each district. The definitive fact is that the 26 mayoralties at stake remained in the hands of the provincial government.
