Some 35.8 million Argentines are being called to vote this Sunday, in the second round of a fierce presidential election and amid celebrations of 40 years of uninterrupted democracy following the end of the last military dictatorship (1976-1983).
Voting is compulsory for citizens between 18 and 70 years old. and optional for people of this age and for young people aged 16 and 17, as well as for people living abroad.
The polls opened at 8 a.m. (5 a.m. Central Mexico time). They stay open until 6pm local time.
The prospects are so uncertain that there is no clear favorite. The polls show that there is a technical tie, as some name the civil servant as favorite Sérgio Massa (Minister of Economy) and others as opponent, the right-wing extremists Javier Milei; in either case with little benefit.
It is no less true that few trust the polls after No one predicted Milei’s victory in the August primaries and that in the October parliamentary elections no one declared Massa the winner and declared Milei’s victory, some even in the first round .
Both reached the second round. Massa received 36.78% of the votes and Milei 29.99%.
The choice between a candidate in charge of the current economic portfolio – and its figures – or another candidate who threatens plans that most experts say are ‘unfeasible’ and carries a chainsaw as a metaphor for what what he is going to do would reduce government spending. will lead to many citizens voting with empty ballots.
Forecasts suggest this will rise from 2% in the October 22 general election, which also saw 22.3% abstentions.
Therefore, one of the tasks of the candidates in the election campaign was to convince those who did not vote and those who voted, but in favor of the other candidates: the center-right parties Patrícia Bullrich (Together for Change), the Peronist dissident Juan Schiaretti (We do this for our country) and the leader of the Left Front Myriam Bregman. They had a total of 8.8 million votes.
They can tip the balance without their leaders – except Bullrich – giving any indication: Schiaretti and Bregman spoke out for ‘neutrality’ during the election campaign, while the former Security Minister forgot that Milei called her a ‘bomber’ and did that too. he took part in his last rally in Córdoba – the country’s second electoral core and an anti-Kirchnerist fief – to support him.
To these other forces, including Together for Change, Massa reached out for his promised unified government, distancing himself from Vice President and former President Cristina Fernández (2007-2015), who announced herself as a candidate for the current president in 2019 Alberto Fernandez.
Enemy of Kirchnerism for many years and once so closely associated with former President Mauricio Macri (2015-2019), who now supports Milei, who was elected minister in 2016 as a member of his delegation to the Davos Economic Forum – as his critics call They ‘ careerists’ and ‘liars’ – He showed how to navigate the political arena with acumen.
His rival is a newcomer to politics, an economist who impressed on television talk shows, who has been a deputy since 2021 and in just two years has managed to give his political strength a chance of victory in the second presidential round.
However, ‘Change’ was one of the most repeated words in the election campaign, in the context of a country where more and more people experience annual inflation of 142.7%, poverty of 40.1% and exchange rate differences of more than 200%.
The Argentine Electoral Chamber characterizes the fraudulent versions spread by Milei’s campaign as “unfounded”.
The National Electoral Chamber of Argentina (CNE) said this on Saturday and “these are absolutely unfounded versions” of the presentations of La Libertad Avanza (LLA), by Javier Milei, on the alleged electoral fraud in the period leading up to the second round of these presidential elections, Sunday.
The campaign secretary (CNE), Sebastián Schimmel, told Rádio Miter that “these are absolutely unsubstantiated versions, because even the broadcasters do not support them with arguments, but this”. They create a climate that tries to create a climate of distrust.”
Schimmel emphasized that by presenting the procedures at all stages of the election process, “everything so far has evaporated.”
“There is no complaint. “There is no fact that justifies this concern,” Schimmel tried to clarify the opposition’s suspicions of fraud.
The Secretary recalled that Argentina’s electoral process is ongoing, surrounded by guarantees and “robust.” Although, apart from a few individual cases, no “irregular fraud processes” took place, these did not influence the results.
Hours after this statement, representatives of the ruling coalition Unión por la Patria (Peronism) and the LLA (ultra-right) met with CNE judges this Saturday with the aim of “preserve democratic coexistence.”
“We just want to make sure that extreme precautions are taken and ‘everything runs normally.’ LLA representative Santiago Viola said this last Friday after appearing before election prosecutor Ramiro González.
On Thursday, the LLA filed a complaint with the Electoral Court against the Gendarmerie (border police). after he changed the contents of the ballot boxes and voting protocols in the first round, on October 22, in favor of Massa.
In the letter, LLA admitted that information about the alleged fraud came from social networks and “people who did not want to identify themselves” and asked judge María Servini to “exercise extreme caution.”
Viola stated that “no evidence was presented” because “there were no complaints against any of the guards” and said they were confident they would “work in the best way possible”.
Milei’s party also referred to this last Friday and reported vote theft in recent days, while the electoral judge demanded that this group provide sufficient ballot papers for Sunday’s election event.
(With information from EFE and Aristegui Noticias)
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
