Argentina Reports a 59.5 Percent Turnout Before Polls Close

Argentina's National Electoral Chamber informed at 4.00 pm local time a turnout of 59.5 percent of the registered voters in the Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory Primary Elections (PASO) held this Sunday.

RELATED: 

Six Main Forces Compete in the Argentine Primaries on Sunday

Already at midday, Interior Minister Eduardo "Wado" de Pedro indicated that the turnout was at "the historical level" registered at that time in the electoral days.

This year, voting centers increased by 3,000 as part of COVID-19 preventive health measures. According to information from the electoral justice, only some delays were reported due to the absence of polling station authorities in different districts.

Nearly 95,000 military and security forces personnel safeguarded 101,457 polling stations distributed in 17,092 schools and other precincts nationwide.

Some 34.3 million Argentineans were eligible to cast their votes ahead of the Nov. 14 elections when 127 seats in the Lower Chamber and 24 Senate posts will be renewed. 

The Argentinean government launched an application for mobile devices to track the vote count, whose official results will be announced at 9.00 pm. 

Candidates who are validated in the primaries to compete in the general elections will be able to start their electoral campaigns on Sept. 30.