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Governor-elect of Tucumán Juan Manzur (photo: Wikipedia)
Frente Para la Victoria (FPV) candidate and former health minister, Juan Manzur, was elected governor of Tucumán yesterday with 54,42% of the votes, followed by Acuerdo Para el Bicentenario’s José Cano who obtained 40,76% of the votes.
The elections, however, were marred by allegations of fraud and violence throughout the day. They began an hour later than scheduled, due to the large amount of people appointed by the parties to supervise the process, and it did not take long for tension to start building up.
The first episode of violence took place minutes after 8am, when two motorcyclists shot at the house of Gabriela Basso, candidate for town councillor for opposition party Compromiso Ciudadano Independiente, who was running in the same ballot as Germán Alfaro, candidate for mayor of San Miguel de Tucumán for Acuerdo Para el Bicentenario. The latter is an alliance that brings together opposition parties UCR, Mauricio Macri’s PRO, and Sergio Massa’s Frente Renovador, among others.
In a similar case in the same area, motorcyclists shot a parked vehicle in front of the house of María Monachessi, candidate for legislator for Viva la Ciudad. The house also happens to serve as one of Alfaro’s electoral offices.
In addition, 42 ballot boxes were burned in various districts. Provincial Electoral Board Secretary, Darío Almaraz, confirmed that the boxes, which represent just over 1% of the electoral roll, “were completely destroyed, they won’t be able to be counted.” Four people were arrested over these incidents, including a local candidate for Acuerdo Para el Bicentenario from the town of Sargento Moya.
Furthermore, an electoral supervisor from Acuerdo Para el Bicentenario discovered that one ballot box contained approximately 30 votes with counterfeit seals and signatures for FPV candidate Manzur inside of it, before the election had begun and prior to the arrival of the Board President.
Another violent episode involved cameraman Jorge Ahualli, who was attacked by a group of local leaders identified as working with candidates from the ruling party as he filmed them handing out bags of merchandise. As a result, Ahualli was taken to hospital, where he remains under observation although out of danger. Two men have been arrested over the incident.
This morning, presidential candidates Mauricio Macri and Sergio Massa asked for all the ballot boxes to be opened up and the votes re-counted to dispel doubts brought about by allegations of fraud. Macri said to Radio Mitre: “There will be no choice but to open up the ballot boxes and if [current governor José] Alperovich, Manzur, [FPV presidential candidate Daniel] Scioli are assured that they won by more than ten points, they have to give the possibility that the polls be opened up.”
On the other hand, Scioli denied the allegations made by the opposition and stated that “they wanted to blur this great democratic day.” He asked that Macri “out of respect for the people of Tucumán, recognise the victory of the FPV (…) He can’t doubt the results every time he loses.”
The post FPV Wins Tucumán Election Amid Controversy appeared first on The Argentina Independent.
