Argentina held, this Sunday (22), the first round of elections to choose the president and part of the representatives of the Chambers of Deputies and Senators. The Argentine Electoral Chamber reported, at around 6 pm, that 74% of the country’s voters had registered their votes.
Access to voting locations was closed at 6pm, but voters who were waiting to cast their votes will still be received, the Argentine Electoral Chamber said. The counting of votes will now begin.
There are five candidates running for the Casa Rosada: Sergio Massa (Unión por la Patria), Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza), Patricia Bullrich (Juntos por el Cambio), Juan Schiaretti (Hacemos por Nuestro País) and Myriam Bregman (Frente de Izquierda) .
Bullrich, Milei and Massa, the top three in the voting intention polls, appear at the polls.
Milei, candidate for the La Libertad Avanza coalition, voted among a crowd that waited for him at the headquarters of the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, in Buenos Aires. When voting, he declared that he had the “desire to put Argentina on its feet”.
Video — See the proposals from Milei, Bullrich and Massa
The current president of the country, Alberto Fernández, voted at the Universidad Católica, in the Puerto Madero neighborhood. Bullrich voted at a school in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.
Climate in voting zones
According to the analyst at CNN Thais Herédia, a series of false exit polls circulated among journalists – which is prohibited in the country.
There is a “trick” to try to add up the number of votes that candidates have already received. All parties know the exact number of ballots in each electoral zone, so they keep an eye on how many are left on the tables.
Some parties complained that ballot theft was taking place.
Another point highlighted by the special envoy of CNN to Argentina was the applause that 16-year-olds, who are not required by law to vote, receive when they arrive at the polls.
Voting in Brazil
The Argentine Consulate in São Paulo reported that it registered a high participation of Argentine voters, without specifying the number. In total, 11,900 Argentines are eligible to vote in São Paulo.
In Brazil, 20,500 Argentine citizens can vote in national elections, making it the third country with the largest number of voters outside of Argentina, behind the United States (90,382) and Spain (152,791).
The voting locations here are in Brasília (DF), Belo Horizonte (MG), Curitiba (PR), Florianópolis (SC), Foz do Iguaçu (PR), Porto Alegre (RS), Recife (PE), Rio de Janeiro ( RJ), Salvador (BA), São Paulo (SP) and Uruguaiana (RS).
In Brasília, 365 voters are qualified to vote at the embassy, of which 70 to 80 people usually vote. This is because, for Argentines living abroad, voting is optional.
In elections marked by increased youth participation, several young people went to the embassy to vote for the first time in their lives. Veteran voters also attended the embassy.
Although voting takes place on paper, the expectation is that the preliminary results will be released quickly. The Argentine embassy in Brazil estimates that, by 10pm this Sunday, citizens will know who will go to the second round, to be held on November 19th.
Determination
In Argentine elections, the counting takes place in two phases. In the first, the poll workers at each electoral station count the ballots and send the voting records to the National Electoral Directorate, where the preliminary totalization is carried out. The ballots are then counted manually, with the definitive result being announced within two weeks.
In diplomatic representations, the voting minutes signed by poll workers are sent virtually via an electoral system. In two working days, all electoral material – ballots and original minutes, are sent by diplomatic mail, for the definitive counting of votes.
Voting is mandatory for people over the age of 18 up to the age of 70. But, from the age of 16 and after the age of 70, it is possible to choose whether to vote or not.
How were the primaries?
In Argentina, there are primary elections, which define the candidates who will compete in the general elections — that is, who will compete for the Presidency and other legislative positions.
Coalitions must obtain at least 1.5% of valid votes to advance.
The anarcho-capitalist Milei was the big surprise of the election. He was the only candidate in his coalition and achieved 29.8% of the vote.
Later came Juntos por el Cambio, with 28% — divided between Bullrich (16.81%) and Horacio Rodríguez Larreta (11.19%).
Unión por la Patria received 27.3% of the votes. It included Massa (21.43%) and Juan Grabois (5.85%).
Schiaretti got 3.7% of the vote and Bregman, 2.6%.
What the latest research says
In the AtlasIntel survey released on October 13, Massa appears ahead in voting intentions in the first round, with 30.9%. Milei has 26.5% and Bullrich, 24.4.
Schiaretti reaches 10% and Bregman has 3.2%.
The survey interviewed 5,702 people over the age of 16 via digital means and randomly between October 10th and 13th. The confidence level is 95%, with. The margin of error is plus or minus one percentage point.
See also – Discover the proposals of the main candidates for president of Argentina
*Published by Marien Ramos, with information from CNN Espanhol and Agência Brasil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
