Polling Stations Close In Argentina’s Presidential Election

On Sunday, polling stations across Argentina closed at 18.00 local time for the presidential elections after a day with a high turnout, according to electoral authorities. 

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During the day, official sources reported a calm atmosphere, without major incidents, and a high turnout. According to the National Electoral Chamber, the turnout had reached 74 percent, surpassing the 69 percent in last August's primary elections. 

More than 35.8 million Argentines were called to elect a president, vice-president, 130 deputies, 24 senators and 43 representatives of the Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur).

There were also local elections in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires, province of Buenos Aires, Catamarca and Entre Ríos.

The tweet reads, "74% of the voters have already voted, although those voters who are waiting their turn will continue to vote."

Among the presidential candidates are Javier Milei, running for the extreme right-wing party Freedom Moves Forward; Juan Schiaretti, current governor of the province of Córdoba for We Make Homeland; Sergio Massa, Minister of Economy and standard bearer of the ruling coalition Union for the Homeland; Myriam Bregman for the Left and Workers Front; and from the right-wing alliance Together for Change, Patricia Bullrich.

According to the country's electoral laws, the presidency is won by whoever obtains 45 percent of the votes or, alternatively, 40  percent, in case there is a difference of at least 10 points with respect to the second place.

The winner will succeed Alberto Fernández as president on December 10 for a four-year term. In the event none of the candidates achieves the victory, a run-off election will be held on November 19. 

The government informed that the preliminary results will be released between 22:00 and 22:30 local time on Sunday (01.30 GMT on Monday).

It should be noted that, beyond the results, the scrutiny reported by the executive branch on Sunday night has no legal validity since it is only to "inform the citizenship." The definitive scrutiny is in charge of the National Electoral Justice and begins 48 hours after the end of the election.

In Argentina, voting is optional for people from 16 to 18 years old, as well as for those over 70 years old. It is compulsory for those between 18 and 70 years of age.