Vaca Muerta Formation Provinces Hold Elections 16 Apr

Argentina's Neuquen and Rio Negro provinces hold their gubernatorial elections on Sunday 16 April. The provinces are home to the Vaca Muerta, which Reuters reports as "a formation that rivals the United States' Permian Basin". In Neuquen, which is home to the lion's share of Vaca Muerta, the regional Peronist Neuquen People's Movement (MPN) is expected to retain power, having held the governorship since the restoration of democracy in 1983.

• The MPN's candidate is Lieutenant Governor Marcos Koopmann, with incumbent Governor Omar Gutierrez term limited from running again. Mark P. Jones at the Baker Institute writes that in the event of a Koopmann win, "... international and Argentine oil and gas companies operating in the Vaca Muerta should expect a maintenance of the status quo of the past 16 years in regard to their interaction with and regulation by the Neuquén provincial government."
• A win for MPN dissident and former lieutenant governor Rolando Figueroa would likely lead to a change in personnel dealing with hydrocarbon extraction at the provincial level, albeit not altering the regional gov'ts stance on the industry. Jones highlights a win for Ramón Rioseco from the Peronist Frente de Todos Neuquino alliance, aligned with President Alberto Fernandez, as being the most disruptive for the sector, stating that it would, "[...] have the potential to dramatically alter the status quo for oil and natural gas operations in the Vaca Muerta."
• In Rio Negro (responsible for 4% of petroleum and 3% of gas plays, and important as a transit province for hydrocarbons from Neuquen), former Governor Alberto Wertilneck from the incumbent regionalist Peronist Together We Are Rio Negro (JSRN) is set to win a third non-consecutive terms in office (having served from 2012-19). The main issue for Wertilneck will be whether the JSRN can secure a majority in the regional assembly, allowing him to pass legislation.