Ruling party candidate Scioli leads in Argentina's presidential election: exit polls

Argentina's ruling party presidential candidate Daniel Scioli hold a lead in Sunday's general election, according to the latest TV exit polls, but it is still unclear whether he collects enough votes to avoid the second round.

"Scioli won by a wide margin," television Channel 5 News (C5N) reported hours before official preliminary results.

In the polls on Sunday, ruling Victory Front Party candidate Scioli led the race with more than 38 percent of votes, followed by Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri of the conservative Cambiemos (Let's Change) Party with 30 percent, and Deputy Sergio Massa of the United for a New Alternative Party (UNA) with 20 percent of the votes.

The winner must secure 45 percent of the votes for an outright winning, or a 10 percentage point advantage over the closest rival, otherwise a second round will be held in November.

Speaking on behalf of Macri's camp, the secretary general of the Buenos Aires city government, Marcos Pena, said he expected a second round against Scioli.

That prediction "is based on our exit polls, which have always been accurate," Pena said, according to the daily La Nacion.

Deputy Graciela Camano, speaking from UNA campaign headquarters, said her side would make no statements on the outcome until official results were released.

"We aren't going to talk about the results," Camano told reporters.

Some 79 percent of Argentina's 32 million registered voters turned out Sunday to elect a new president, Justice Minister Julio Alak said.

Voting is compulsory in Argentina for citizens aged between 18 and 70 years old.

Outgoing President Cristina Fernandez, who came to power in 2007, will conclude her second four-year term in December. Argentina's constitution bars her from running for a third consecutive term, but she could run for a third tenure after sitting out the next four years. Endi