- Title: ARGENTINA-ELECTIONS/MAYOR RUNOFF Buenos Aires decides next mayor in runoff vote
- Date: 19th July 2015
- Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (JULY 19, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** GENERAL OF OBELISK IN DOWNTOWN BUENOS AIRES VARIOUS OF BUENOS AIRES RESIDENTS CHECKING VOTING REGISTRY AND VOTING VARIOUS OF HORACIO RODRIGUEZ LARRETA, PRO PARTY CANDIDATE FOR BUENOS AIRES MAYOR, ARRIVING TO VOTE VARIOUS OF LARRETA VOTING LARRETA ALONGSIDE JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (S
- Embargoed: 3rd August 2015 13:00
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- Location: Argentina
- Country: Argentina
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA913X6NBAKU19XGF3VSP9GJ7RA
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Argentina's capital is returning to the polls Sunday (July 19) to settle a runoff vote to decide who will govern Buenos Aires over the next four years.
The race comes down to Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, the heir apparent to the current mayor of Buenos Aires, and Martin Lousteau, a former economy minister under President Cristina Fernandez who has broken with her and made competence and transparency central to his campaign.
The business-friendly PRO candidate Larreta took nearly 46 percent of the vote in the first round on July 5. Larreta is currently the cabinet chief for Mauricio Macri, the presiding mayor of Buenos Aires who is looking to go on and win the Argentine presidency in national elections in October.
Fernandez is banned from standing for a third consecutive term in office.
As he seeks to continue PRO's rule in the Argentine capital, Larreta aimed to convey a sense of calm after casting his vote.
"I am calm coming here as I have this whole time, talking with people, telling them about our proposals, with tranquility. Now, I will have lunch with my family, afterwards, definitely a nap to rest a little bit, and after six, we will be there with everyone from our team who will be there to watch the results," he told reporters.
Under the leadership of Macri, the 56-year-old former president of the Boca Juniors soccer club, the PRO party has earned a reputation for getting things done in Buenos Aires.
Hundreds of thousands of commuters have been helped by a "Metrobus" his administration introduced on the capital's main avenue, separating bus from car lanes and unclogging both.
School nutrition programmes, bicycle lanes, pedestrian malls and parks with health stations where people can check their blood pressure have flourished.
Lousteau garnered 25.6 percent of the first round vote. He outperformed the candidate from the ruling Victory Front party, under which he served as the country's economic minister from 2007-8.
After voting, he emphasised the victor will have much work to do.
"Today is the day in which the citizens can choose who will be in charge for the next four years, (and will choose) their priorities and ethical principles. And as I recently said, this isn't a soccer match. At a soccer match, things end with a result. But here it starts with the result, because there will be four years of work, which is what happens in all political systems. You make the decision in one day, but then you have four years for the work. That's what's important, to see how in these four years we are going to improve our living conditions," he said.
The next mayor will take office on December 10. Results are expected later on Sunday. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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