Technical problems and long queues were some of the difficulties faced by voters who went to the polls in Argentina’s primary elections this Sunday (13). With that, the calculation had not yet been closed until 23:50 (Brasília time).
Some schools were allowed to extend voting hours, which would officially end at 6 pm. Another reason that aggravated the delay in counting was the implementation of the electronic voting system for the election of heads of government.
At around 11:50 pm, with 78% of the ballot boxes counted, deputy Javier Milei, leader of the La Libertad Avanza coalition, had 31.09% of the votes for president in the primary election.
The Juntos por el Cambio coalition was in second, with 27.97% of the votes; in the dispute in that political group, Patricia Bullrich (16.96%) was ahead of Horacio Rodríguez Larreta (11%).
In third place was the Unión por la Patria coalition, with 26.58% of the votes, in which Sergio Massa (21.12%) was ahead of Juan Gabrois (5.46%). Massa is President Alberto Fernandez’s candidate.
With the release of the first results, according to the newspaper clarionsocial networks recorded expressions such as “Milei Presidente”, “Que se vayan todos” (“Let everyone go away”, in free translation) and “la casta tiene miedo” (“The caste is afraid”) were among the most cited.
Entitled PASO elections (primary, open, simultaneous and mandatory), the election precedes the general elections on October 22, when the Argentine president will be chosen from among the candidates who receive the most votes on this Sunday (13).
In Argentina, voting is mandatory for anyone between 18 and 70 years old. But, from the age of 16 and after the age of 70, it is possible to choose whether to vote or not.
Who are the candidates
Libertarian Javier Milei, from Liberdade Avança, with vice-president Victoria Villarruel, led the dispute. Being a staunch opponent of the Peronist government, he is seen as a strong candidate to run against Sergio Massa in an eventual second round.
Representing the government of Alberto Fernandéz, Minister of Economy Sergio Massa, from União Pela Pátria, also appears as one of the favorites for the dispute. In a country whose inflation exceeds 100% and which has almost 40% of the population in poverty, the minister is seen as the “hope” for voters who support Argentine Peronism.
Among the center-right opponents are Horacio Larreta, of Together for Change, with vice-president Gerardo Morales; and Patricia Bullrich, also from Together for Change, with deputy Luis Petri.
Argentina registers problems during the vote
Due to the aforementioned problems, federal judge María Servini de Cuíbra questioned the way in which the system was implemented. “The degree of improvisation with which both the company contracted to supply and install the ballot boxes and the Institute of Electoral Management have been treated is worrying,” she said in a letter sent to the electoral authorities.
Deputy Javier Milei, who is running for the Presidency, said that the election seemed to have been organized “on the spur of the moment”, questioning, without evidence, the fairness of the vote: “When they want to do this kind of trick, these things happen”, he told the press afterwards. to devote.
Understand what are the primaries in Argentina
In Argentina, there are primary elections, which define the candidates who will run in the general elections – that is, who will run for the Presidency and other positions of legislators.
Since 2016, it has been established that successful candidates in the primaries must participate in two televised debates. They will take place between the 1st and 8th of October. Voting will take place on October 22.
One of these debates must be held in a provincial capital determined by the National Electoral Chamber. In case of a second round, there will be one more instance of debate between the two candidates, on November 12th.
In addition to the president, Argentines will have to choose the representatives of the Lower House, that is, 130 national deputies, and a third of the Upper House, that is, 24 national senators.
They will also choose 21 governors of the 23 provinces of the Argentine territory and the new head of government of the city of Buenos Aires.
Unlike Brazilian elections, Argentine elections allow provinces to choose whether they will follow the national electoral calendar or be held in a different period. This is the case of the election in the province of La Pampa, which held the primaries on February 12. The election for governor and local offices took place on May 14.
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