Shortly after the March 1962 coup, deep divisions within the military came to the surface. The factions that favored a quick return to competitive politics won out, leading to new general elections in July 1963. The proscription of the Peronists meant that the new semi-democratic regime had the same congenital defect as the regime of 1958-62. This time Peron ordered his followers to cast a blank vote, and Arturo Illia of the URCP won the presidential election with a meager 25 percent of the popular vote. He assumed office in October 1963.