The election comes as Argentine voters have been hard-hit by 124% yearly inflation that has pummeled their purchasing power. Voting centers for the Oct. 22 election open at 8 a.m. local time (1100 GMT) and close at 6 p.m. Argentina's tight election races come at a time of uncertainty for the South American country facing its worst economic crisis in decades. PROJECTIONSFar-right libertarian Javier Milei is leading the polls ahead of Argentina's Oct. 22 presidential vote, but it remains a tight race between the top three candidates, three surveys showed. All three surveys had Economy Minister Sergio Massa in second place and conservative opposition candidate Patricia Bullrich in third.

---

Persons: Sergio Massa, Patricia Bullrich, Javier Milei, Alberto Fernandez, Dissident Peronist Juan Schiaretti, País, Myriam Bregman, Milei, Massa, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina's pollsters, Maximilian Heath, Rod Nickel Organizations: por la Patria, el Cambio, La Libertad Avanza, Argentine, WHO, Libertad, la Patria, el, Dissident Peronist, Frente de Izquierda, South, International Monetary Fund, Peronist, Thomson Locations: BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Hacemos, South American