Argentine Presidential Election: Javier Milei and Sergio Massa Set for Run-Off Vote

According to partial results from Sunday's presidential election in Argentina, voters will have to decide between left-wing candidate Sergio Massa and far-right candidate Javier Milei in a run-off vote next month. No candidate has received more than 45% of the votes, which is the threshold for election. This outcome has surprised many pollsters who expected voters to penalize Massa for overseeing a major economic crisis while serving as economy minister. Inflation in Argentina is currently at around 140%. Milei had been leading in the polls prior to the election, but Massa has received 36.2% of the ballots so far, while Milei has received 30.2% according to the partial results. The election saw a voter turnout of 74%. Predicting the results in Argentina is notoriously difficult, as shown by the failure to anticipate Milei's rise in the primaries held in August. Milei's popularity has grown recently as he has promised to eliminate the central bank and replace the Argentine peso with the US dollar. He has also advocated for a reduction in government offices to reduce bureaucracy. Massa and former security minister Patricia Bullrich were Milei's main opponents in the election. Bullrich received 23.8% of the votes, with a focus on restoring "order" to the country. The surprise results have put Massa in first place, despite expectations that Milei would come out on top. The uncertainty created by this outcome will continue for another four weeks until the run-off on November 19th, which comes at a challenging time for the country's economy. Regardless of who wins the presidential election, they will face the difficult task of winning over a disillusioned population desperate for improvements in their lives. Pre-election polls had already suggested the possibility of a run-off. To win in the first round, a candidate would have needed to secure more than 45% of the votes or 40% plus a 10 percentage point lead over their closest rival. In addition to choosing a new president and vice-president, Argentinians also voted for new representatives for the lower and upper houses of Congress.