In a sign of increasing tension ahead of October elections, the top presidential candidates in Argentina and other government officials exchanged accusations on Tuesday after protests over alleged vote fraud in a northern province were broken up
Outgoing governor Jose Alperovich said police force was "excessive" and that prosecutors would investigate. He also promised to open "ballot box after ballot box" if a recount is necessary.
Ruling party presidential candidate Daniel Scioli said that complaining protesters and politicians simply didn't want to accept that ruling party candidate Juan Manzur won the election. Scioli accused Macri of stirring up emotions.
Administration officials from the ruling party, in power since 2003, periodically complain of meddling by foreign countries.
Electoral authorities have said the burnt ballot boxes represented only a fraction of the total votes, and including their ballots would not the outcome.
Demonstrators claimed fraud in the provincial governor's race after several ballot boxes were burned in incidents that authorities have said were instigated by people of several political parties.
Cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez suggested that foreign elements from "up north" had organized the late Monday protests, which ended when police fired on people and forcefully removed them from the main square of San Miguel de Tucuman, about 807 miles
Mauricio Macri, the leading opposition candidate for October's presidential election, told reporters on Tuesday that it's impossible to say Sunday's gubernatorial election in Tucuman was clean when at least 40 ballot boxes had been burned. "We can't
Violent protests in Argentina over alleged vote fraud