Argentines were awaiting the electoral result in the midst of an atmosphere full of speculation, fake news and a real uncertainty about the verdict of the polls. What is at stake this Sunday is much more than a contest due to the danger represented by the rise of the far-right Javier Milei. The moment of final scrutiny has a country holding its breath. And is not for less. What happens will redesign the map of power of a country with 40% poor and an annual inflation of 140%. Sergio Massa and the conservative Patricia Bullrich, the other candidates, called not to rush with triumphalist opinions, in clear allusion to the libertarian.
The extreme right began to circulate information on the networks about anomalies that forced the National Electoral Chamber (CNE) to ask that a climate of unfounded anxiety not be created. “All complaints require – essential – the identification of the person who files it. (the one that was anonymous is not valid).” In that sense, he stressed that “the alternative routes arranged by political groups, candidates or individuals, which do not validate the identity of the person making the complaint, lack legal validity.”
The Polls prior to the race profiled Milei in first place, although without enough votes to avoid the second round on November 19, and Massa as escort. Some analysts warned that on Sunday may conclude with surprises not contemplated by the surveys.
The elections, the newspaper noted The nation“will mark a good part# of the existence of this country” almost without exposing the signs of the tragedy it is going through. This drama devoid of visible symptoms “explains in part the impotence of the pollsters to offer credible and conclusive results on the eve of the electoral act”.
The fate of the three candidates is defined in the province of Buenos Aires, the main economic district of the country and with 40% of the national registry. The Buenos Aires governor, Axel Kicillof, who is seeking re-election, called on residents to vote to reduce the level of absenteeism in the August primaries, which was 30%. “Let’s all vote. It is a very important day, not voting means someone else voting for you. Voting is always a joy, I do it with a lot of happiness, with a lot of optimism.”
The opinion of the candidates
When voting, Milei expressed confidence in a victory without appeals. “We are in a position to do the best government in history!“. “How am I going to retire if I am going to be president?” said Bullrich. Former president Mauricio Macri, leader of that space, assured that his former Minister of Security will enter the runoff. “We have been without government in Argentina, but today is a day of hope“.
Massa, who is also Minister of Economy, tried to de-dramatize the exceptional circumstances. “On Monday Argentina continuesYesterday we were working, our responsibility is to take care of the Argentines, their work, their savings. There are those who in some way try to influence the will of the people with fear, we have to transmit tranquility.”
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The vice president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who for weeks has kept a low profile, also had something to say. “I hope for a more sensible country. That all those who have responsibilities have to agree, as is necessary, to see how we get out of the mess that means having a debt with the Fund (International Monetary) that implies policies that are inflationary. We need attitudes of not wanting to subordinate ourselves to external policies. It is necessary to discuss the agreement again.” For her, the political parties have to find a consensus to put at the center of public discussions the terms of what was agreed with the organization to return the 46,000 million dollars contracted by Macri in 2018.
What is also at stake
This Sunday’s elections will also draw the new map in Congress: half of the Chamber of Deputies and a third of the Senate are renewed. Peronism (officialism) risks more seats. What is already known is that the extreme right will have a much larger bloc than the present and that represents a political and cultural change in Argentina.