NEARLY 100 people have been arrested on looting charges in Argentina over recent days, raising fears that violence could escalate as October’s presidential election approaches.

The arrests have unleashed a highly partisan exchange of blame for the spate of incidents between the president’s office and far-right candidate Javier Milei, who gained the most votes in the August 13 presidential primary.

Buenos Aires provincial authorities said on Wednesday that 94 people had been detained in connection with more than 150 looting attempts since Monday, following days of isolated incidents of looting over the weekend.

President Alberto Fernandez said that the incidents “evidently were organised” and said that it was “very important” to “preserve social peace” in the run-up to the October 22 election.

The president spoke shortly after his spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti accused Mr Milei and his followers of wanting to destabilise the country. Mr Milei denied the accusation and claimed that the government was probably behind the looting.

Many Argentinians are struggling to make ends meet as the inflation rate hits 100 per cent a year. About 40 per cent of the population is living in poverty.