Argentine gov’t apologizes after right-wing candidates win first round of elections
Buenos Aires, Aug 17 (EFE).- Argentina’s left-wing government apologized to voters on Thursday after right-wing candidates swept the first round of the general elections.
In Sunday’s primaries, the ruling left-wing coalition led by finance minister Sergio Massa, Union por la Patria (“Union for the Fatherland”), finished with 27.27% of the vote, behind garnered by Javier Milei of Libertad Avanza (“Liberty Advances”) and by Patricia Bullrich, former security minister of the Juntos por el Cambio (“Together for Change”) coalition, who won 30.04% and 28.28% respectively.
“The government has done something to people’s lives that prevents them from going towards the future that they want,” government spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti told a press conference.
“We apologize for not being able to make you feel represented,” she added.
She also expressed concern about the high abstention rate of around 30%.
“There was a significant part of the population that decided to express their anger, their annoyance, their frustration and their criticism, their opinion of how they feel about their daily lives and the direction of this country,” Cerruti said.
The two right-wing candidates will meet in a run-off vote on Oct. 22 to decide who will be Argentina’s next president. EFE
vd/cd/ks
