Partial results: Argentina heads to presidential runoff

Economy Minister Sergio Massa is beating anti-establishment candidate Javier Milei in early results from Argentina's presidential election on Sunday night.

With 86% of the votes counted, Massa was surprisingly ahead with 35.9% of the vote to Milei's 30.51%.

Former security minister Patricia Bullrich of the main opposition coalition was a distant third, well behind Massa and Milei.

Most of the pre-election polls showed Milei leading and Massa coming in second.

With inflation soaring at 140% year-on-year, more than a third of the population living in poverty, and the middle class on its knees, many voters were eager to break with the traditional parties.

What are the candidates promising?

Libertarian economist Javier Milei has made a name for himself by railing against the "political caste" and expressing admiration for former US President Donald Trump.

He has promised to "chainsaw" the economic status quo by abandoning the peso for the US dollar, shutting down the central bank, reducing the size of government and privatizing Argentina's state-owned enterprises.

Economy Minister Sergio Massa, who oversaw inflation which has reached triple digits for the first time since 1991, represents the ruling center-left coalition.

He has pledged to defend the peso and the Peronist social safety net, while repeatedly promising voters that "the worst is over."

If the partial results bear out, Massa and Milei will face off in a runoff election on November 19, with the winner taking office in December, reports DW.