MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's general election records lowest turnout since return to democracy

The primary determination regarding the overall turnout suggests that this general election records the lowest voter participation in the nation since its return to democracy

In the general elections held on Sunday, Argentina witnessed a voter turnout of 74% of its electoral roll, a slight increase of five points compared to the turnout in the August primaries, as reported by official sources.

Millions of Argentines voted this Sunday, October 22, throughout the country and in the main capitals abroad. They defined with their vote who will be the two candidates that will dispute the Presidency of the Nation next November 19 in the run-off election, which according to the expectations of political analysts will be inevitable.

Julio Vitobello, the Secretary-General of the Presidency, addressed the nation following the closing of polling stations in Argentina, originally scheduled for 18:00 hours (21:00 GMT). He noted that “there are still schools where they are casting their votes, so the final percentage may be subject to further elevation.”

The PASO elections, or Compulsory Simultaneous and Compulsory Primaries, conducted on August 13th, had concluded with a 69% turnout, marking a five-point drop compared to the recent general elections.

The headquarters of the main political forces of the country assure that, unlike other elections, they did not hire exit polls. However, throughout the day, polls of all kinds circulated in social networks and WhatsApp windows, many of them attributed to pollsters who were forced to deny their authenticity, Infobae reported.

The definitive determination regarding the overall turnout, which may increase as lagging voters participate, suggests that this general election records the lowest voter participation in the nation since its return to democracy. This includes both the initial and the runoff rounds of elections.

Historically, the lowest turnout had been recorded in 2007 when 76.20% of the electoral roll participated in the initial round. This election confirmed the victory of Peronist candidate Cristina Fernández, who succeeded her husband, Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007).

In contrast, the highest voter turnout in Argentina was observed in 1983 during the first democratic elections held after the period of dictatorship (1976-1983). An impressive 85.61% of eligible voters participated, resulting in the victory of the Radical candidate, Raúl Alfonsín.

On this significant election day, a total of 35.4 million Argentines exercised their right to elect the President and Vice President, as well as renew 130 out of the 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 24 out of the 72 seats in the Senate. Additionally, 43 Argentine representatives were chosen for the Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur), which serves as the legislative body for the Mercosur trade bloc, composed of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Notably, the provinces of Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Entre Ríos, and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires decided not to separate their elections from the national elections, unlike other regions.

The initial results of the provisional count, with the definitive tally set to commence next Tuesday, are expected to be available from 22:30 hours (01:30 GMT on Monday). The Secretary of the Presidency has urged patience from the public as the electoral process unfolds.

 

With information from EFE