In a much closer first round of presidential voting than expected, Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri did well enough to force a Nov. 22 runoff with first-place finisher Daniel Scioli, the candidate of Argentina's ruling party. With nearly all votes counted, Scioli, who is governor of Buenos Aires state and a former vice president, tallied 36.9% of the ballots cast. Macri was close behind with 34.3%. Macri was more euphoric: “What happened today has changed the political history of the country.” The loss marks the first election since 1987 that a Peronist -- the name given to followers of the late Argentine president, Juan Peron, and his second wife, Eva Peron -- has not won the governorship of the country’s most populous state. Argentinians turned out in big numbers -- 79% of the 32 million eligible voters cast ballots -- to decide Sunday’s election.
