On Sunday, the polling stations in Argentina opened at 08:00 AM for the general elections, where voters will decide on the next president, vice president, and various national and provincial positions.
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Approximately 35.4 million Argentines are called upon not only to choose their president and vice president but also to renew 130 out of 257 seats in the Lower House and 24 out of 72 in the Senate.
They will also appoint 43 Argentine representatives to the Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur), the legislative body of the regional bloc consisting of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Additionally, there will be general elections for positions in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Entre Rios, and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, which opted not to separate their elections from the national ones, unlike other districts.
Over 86,000 soldiers were deployed to handle the logistics and security of the ballot boxes and voting materials distributed across 17,400 schools and venues throughout the country. These locations will remain open until 6:00 PM local time.
These elections are compulsory for voters aged 18 to 70, while those between 16 and 18 or over 70 can choose to vote voluntarily. This also applies to citizens living abroad, who have already begun casting their votes in 86 countries.
Argentina is poised to select its next leader who will govern the country from Dec. 10 for the 2023-2027 term, succeeding the Peronist Alberto Fernandez.
The leading candidates vying for the position are Javier Milei, the leader of the far-right Freedom Advances, who received the most votes in the August primaries and is the top favorite; Sergio Massa, the current Economy Minister representing the ruling coalition "Union for the Homeland"; and Patricia Bullrich, the candidate for "Together for Change" (center-right).
In addition, there are contenders like the incumbent Cordoba Governor Juan Schiaretti, representing "We Do It for Our Country" (dissident Peronism), and Myriam Bregman, the candidate for the "Left and Workers' Front."
If the candidates do not achieve 45 percent of the votes or at least 40 percent with a 10-point lead over the next most voted candidate, a runoff election will be held on November 19th.
This runoff does not apply to the Buenos Aires province, where the governor will be determined this Sunday. The candidates for this position are Axel Kicillof, the current Head of Government; the center-right Nestor Grindetti, and the ultra-liberal Carolina Piparo.
In the same year that Argentina celebrates four decades of democracy following the last military dictatorship (1976-1983), the country faces these elections in the midst of a severe socio-economic crisis, with a year-on-year inflation rate that soared to 138.3 percent in September, a 40.1 percent poverty rate, dwindling reserves, and a currency exchange rate gap exceeding 200 percent.
On Sunday night, the national government will conduct a provisional vote count aimed at informing the public, but it lacks legal validity. The definitive vote count, which holds legal validity, will be conducted by the Electoral Justice and will commence on Tuesday.