Argentina elects the next president this Sunday in the 2nd round

NIn the first round, on October 22, Sergio Massa, candidate of the ruling party, obtained 36.78% of the votes, while Javier Milei, who is supported by former president Mauricio Macri and defines himself as an “anarcho-capitalist” – an extreme form of liberalism defending a stateless capitalist society – got 29.99%.

For the final stretch of the election, Milei obtained the support of third place in the first round, Patricia Bullrich.

The average of the 12 polls to which Lusa had access leaves Milei with 44.65% of voting intentions against Massa’s 42.67%, a difference of two points, within the margin of error, leaving the decision in the hands of the 6% of undecided.

Around 86,000 members of the Armed Forces and national and provincial security forces were mobilized to ensure the normal course of this election day in the South American country.

The Ministry of Defense announced that the General Electoral Command (CGE) will be responsible for sending units and logistical resources to “guarantee protection” in the locations involved in the electoral process.

The appointed General Electoral Commander, Brigadier General Jorge Fabián Berredo, will lead the Army, Navy and Air Force personnel who are part of the operation, together with the National Republican Guard, the Coast Guard, the Federal Police, the Airport Security and provincial police.

Also involved in the operation will be 4,500 land vehicles, a C-130 Hercules plane, 14 helicopters, four boats and around 90 mules to transport the ballot boxes in the mountainous regions of Argentina.

The security operation will cover the 16,888 polling stations, where 106,160 polling stations will be installed.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the CGE will guarantee in the country’s 24 electoral districts “the protection and security of the electoral act, including material collection sites, surveillance of the facilities where voting tables will operate and the guarding of ballot boxes and documentation during its transport in Correios Argentinos vehicles, as well as the places of provisional counting and definitive counting”.

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