the front for victory recovered the majority in both chambers of the congress during the 2011 presidential elections, when cristina kirchner was re-elected for a second term. the party had projects to amend the constitution and allow indefinite reelections, but lacked the supermajority required for it. a victory at the 2013 midterm elections would have given such majority, but the party was defeated in most provinces. sergio massa, a former cabinet minister of the kirchners, won in the buenos aires province by nearly 10 points with his new party, the renewal front. argentina lacked a big opposition party since the collapse of the radical civic union in 2001. instead, massa created an alternative party that also stood for peronism. however, the party still retained a simple majority in congress. this election was the first one where teenagers from 16 to 18 could vote. president kirchner, who had undergone brain surgery some weeks before, was hospitalized during the election and unable to join the campaign.