Initial results from Argentina’s presidential election indicate that ruling coalition candidate Sergio Massa has overturned the odds to finish first but that the race for the Casa Rosada will go to a run-off next month.
Massa, 51, the economy minister running for Unión por la Patria, had 36.35 percent of votes with 91.84 percent of polling stations reporting, electoral authorities announced just after 10pm on Sunday night.
The Peronist will now face La Libertad Avanza candidate Javier Milei, who won the August primaries, in the Nov. 19 second round.
Javier Milei, 53, representing La Libertad Avanza, had 30.16 percent of votes cast, ahead of Bullrich, the candidate for the opposition Juntos por el Cambio coalition. The 67-year-old former security minister has secured 23.83 percent.
Massa was forecasted to finish second at best. With inflation running at more than 138 percent annually and more than 40 percent of the population living in poverty, most pollsters and analysts had tipped Milei to top voters’ preferences.
The run off phase would be staged on 19th November. To avoid a run-off election on November 19, a candidate needs to win 45 percent of the vote Sunday, or 40 percent with a difference of 10 points or more over the nearest rival.
In addition to the Presidency, voters are also choosing lawmakers for the lower house Chamber of Deputies and upper house Senate.
The provinces of Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos and Catamarca are also voting to decide their governors for the next four years. Citizens in the capital, Buenos Aires City, will define their next mayor.
More than 74 percent of the electorate had voted by the time polls closed. Those remaining in line were able to wait and cast their ballots. Voting is obligatory for those aged between 18 and 70 years of age.
