translated from Spanish: Argentina holds primaries in first test of popularity for Macri and Fernandez

Argentina is holding a mandatory primary election on Sunday (11.08.2019) that will serve as a rehearsal for the October presidential elections, in which the liberal representative Mauricio Macri will seek re-election over the pe center-left ronist Alberto Fernández.
The candidacies were defined in advance by consensus in the political coalitions, so these primaries, for which 34 million voters are allowed to vote, acquire the value of an early presidential election.
The primaries, known as STEP, will allow to see the level of polarization, which some surveys estimate by up to 80 percent. Likewise, the difference that results between Macri and Fernández, the latter presented as a favorite in the polls by a narrow margin, and who is accompanied as an aspirant to the vice presidency will be relevant the former staff Cristina Kirchner (2007-2015). Some polls even predict a technical tie.
Two antagonistic projects
The consultation takes place in a context of recession, with an inflation rate of 22.4% in the first half, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC). Argentines are presented with two antagonistic projects: Macri’s, which carries out an adjustment plan backed by the International Monetary Fund, and Fernandez’s, whom markets see with mistrust.
In this scenario, the campaign has developed with an emphasis on the weaknesses of the opposite. On Macri weighs its difficulty in lowering inflation. About Fernandez, the perception that she depends on Cristina Kirchner, a controversial figure who brings him electoral torrent, but at the same time is the one of greatest rejection.
Macri also highlights the public works built during his rule and attacks Cristina Kirchner’s former, brought to justice in various prosecutions for alleged corruption.

Original source in Spanish