Sáenz Peña Law
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The Sáenz Peña Law (Spanish: Ley Sáenz Peña) was Law 8871 of Argentina, sanctioned by the National Congress on 10 February 1912, which established the universal, secret and compulsory male suffrage though the creation of an electoral list (Padrón Electoral). It was approved during the presidency of Roque Sáenz Peña, main supporter of the law, and was published in the official government bulletin on 13 February 1912.
The right to vote for females was not covered by this law until 1947, during the first presidency of Juan Perón. The "universal" scope of the original law included only native and naturalized men but not women and working class men who were non-citizen immigrants, a very significant portion of the population at the time. Indeed, in Buenos Aires in 1914, 49% of the population was foreign born.[1] In the entire country, 30% of all residents were foreign born according to the 1914 national census.[2] The right to vote was not extended to immigrants due to concerns among the governing elite that migrants would back "extremist" parties.[3]