BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) – President Cristina Fernandez’s successor candidate Daniel Scioli was ahead on Monday in early results from open primaries for the next top leader of Argentina.
With more than 28 percent of ballots counted early Monday, Scioli was leading with nearly 37 percent of the vote. Mauricio Macri led opposition candidates with about 31 percent while Sergio Massa garnered less than 22 percent. Final results were expected later in the day.
Millions of voters in Argentina braved heavy rains to weigh in Sunday on what the South American nation should look like after the departure of Fernandez, a polarizing leader who spent heavily on programs for the poor but failed to solve myriad economic problems.
The presidential candidates had all but sealed the nominations in their respective parties, making the exercise essentially a giant national poll ahead of the Oct. 25 elections. Several polling places were relocated during the day because of rains and flooding in some streets in greater Buenos Aires.
The nation known for its tango dancing and soccer players is struggling with economic problems, with independent analysts putting inflation at over 30 percent. A long-standing dispute with U.S. hedge funds that Fernandez calls “vultures” has kept foreign investors away.