ARGENTINA-ELECTION/PRIMARY Ruling party candidate Scioli leads Argentine presidential primary

Record ID: 144444

  • Title: ARGENTINA-ELECTION/PRIMARY Ruling party candidate Scioli leads Argentine presidential primary
  • Date: 10th August 2015
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF SCIOLI GREETING NATIONAL CABINET MINISTERS AND OFFICIALS ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 25th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Argentina
  • Country: Argentina
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVADCUPNZ8JY430P6QHRZYK8098H
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli was ahead in Argentina's presidential primary on Sunday with 36.8 percent, early results showed, with voters favouring the Buenos Aires governor's policy of gradual change after eight years of leftist government.
    "With this backing, this support, this victory, this result is overwhelming, see what you see but the only truth is the reality and the reality is that we have at least this huge difference with our circumstantial adversaries," said the former speedboat racer.
    Scioli is in outgoing President Cristina Fernandez's Front for Victory and has promised to slowly modify her policies, which include heavy state control of the economy.
    The presidential election, in which Fernandez is banned from running for a third consecutive term, is on October 25.
    The No. 2 vote-getter on Sunday was Mauricio Macri, the business-friendly mayor of the capital city whose goal is to do well enough in October to force a November run-off. He had 24.7 percent of the primary vote with 24.5 percent of ballots counted.
    "I don't believe in the presidents who know everything, I don't believe in messianic leaders, I believe in teams, I believe in constructing, I believe in the enrichment of permanent sharing, discussing and creating dialog with the exchange of ideas and this is what I propose to Argentines," he said.
    Macri competed with two less popular members of his Cambiemos, or "Let's Change," coalition. Let's Change as a whole captured 31.2 percent. Scioli ran unopposed in the Front for Victory primary.
    Both Scioli and Macri are former businessmen with more orthodox policies than Fernandez, whose high public spending has drained fiscal accounts and fueled inflation while currency and trade controls slowed investment.
    Macri vows to quickly free the markets. Scioli says "gradualism" is the best way to open the economy while preserving the strong social safety net weaved together by Fernandez since she first took power in 2007.
    Renewal Front congressman Sergio Massa placed a distant third in Sunday's primary with 12.1 percent for his 'Una' coalition.
    "I want to thank each and every one of the millions of Argentines that chose us, they are not locked in the idea that Argentina had a unique destiny of forking paths (MACRI or SCIOLI), and who believed that there was a place for the proposal, for discussion of ideas, for debate," said the former Tigre mayor.
    Each party chose its presidential candidate in the primary but, with voters free to cross party lines, Sunday's vote served as a dry run ahead of the October election.
    To win outright in October, a candidate needs 45 percent of the vote or 40 percent with a 10-point margin over whoever places second.
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