A man wearing a face mask as a protective measure against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks past the entrance of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, a day after midterm primary elections, in Buenos Aires, Argentina September 13, 2021.
The primary, which unusually is an obligatory nationwide vote, defines internal leadership battles and acts as a dry run for the general election.
The primary vote four years ago delivered a shock landslide defeat to the government of conservative then-President Mauricio Macri, sparking a crash in bonds, equities and the peso currency that Argentina has yet to fully recover from.
Ex-security tsar Patricia Bullrich and Buenos Aires city Mayor Horacio Larreta are vying to lead the opposition, and Economy Minister Sergio Massa is a unity candidate for the Peronists.
The country's S&P Merval (.MERV) stock market index, meanwhile, has been soaring, seen as a safe haven for local investors and a refuge from the damaging impact of inflation.
Persons:
Agustin Marcarian, Mauricio Macri, it's, Mauro Natalucci, Rava Bursátil, Patricia Bullrich, Horacio Larreta, Sergio Massa, Javier Milei, Jorge Otaola, Walter Bianchi, Adam Jourdan, Cynthia Osterman
Organizations:
Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Peronist, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Argentine, SBS Group, International Monetary Fund, Thomson
Locations:
Buenos Aires, Argentina, BUENOS AIRES, MERV