The South American country already has presidential candidates heading to the elections on October 22. With the scrutiny about to be completed, the results indicate that Javier Milei, an extreme right-wing ‘outsider’, Patricia Bullrich, a ‘macrista’ right-wing candidate and Sergio Massa, elected from the ruling party, will be the main faces in the dispute for the Presidency.
“It’s a historic moment for all of us, it’s unthinkable.” This is how Javier Milei’s running mate, Victoria Villaruel, described the Argentine election day on August 13, where the presidential candidacy of the binomial launched by the ultra-right-wing La Libertad Avanza party was made official.
With more than 90% of polling stations scrutinized, Milei is emerging as the winner of the voting against all odds: his candidacy alone adds more support than the two running for Juntos por el Cambio, the Macrista conservative right, and the two for Unión por the Homeland, the ruling party.
Although it was expected that Peronism would not obtain good results in the contest, the surprise was Milei’s ‘sorpasso’ against the macristas, with whom the leadership of the opposition to the Government of Alberto Fernández is being disputed. For now, it seems that the ‘outsider’ ultra has managed to better capitalize on the discontent that permeates the Argentine population.
The PASO elections (mandatory simultaneous open primaries) serve to determine which candidacies will be presented to the presidency of Argentina next October and are the main thermometer to measure the political climate of the country. After the voting, an unprecedented scenario opens: the far-right libertarian Milei in first place, Together for Change in second place, with Patricia Bullrich as the winner of the internal dispute, and Unión por la Patria in third place under the leadership of Sergio Massa .
“An end to the entire political caste, stupid and useless”
From a hotel in the center of the Argentine capital, Milei was euphoric with the results presented by the electoral authorities. In addition, he thanked his followers, presaging that it would be the beginning of the end for “the entire political caste, stupid and useless,” the candidate sentenced between shouts of “long live freedom.”
The politician, emboldened, came to assure that they are in a position to win the presidential elections in the first round. Meanwhile, at the electoral headquarters of the La Libertad Avanza party, a luxurious hotel in Buenos Aires, the night turned into a party.
Born on October 22, 1970 in Buenos Aires, Javier Milei has stolen the spotlight on the Argentine political scene with his libertarian and confrontational discourse in relation to traditional politicians.
Before fully entering a political career, Milei, an economist by profession, participated in national television programs as a political commentator, a profession with which he gained notoriety by spreading his controversial opinions on the management of the economy, the rejection of the programs and the total defense of the free market, of which he is a fervent follower.
It was only in 2021 that Milei obtained her first position in Argentine politics, taking a seat in the Chamber of Deputies before starting her presidential campaign.
Among his proposals are the dollarization of the Argentine economy and the “closing” of the Central Bank as key measures to mitigate the high inflation rates in the country, which have come to exceed 100%.
In the social sphere, Milei has expressed her rejection of progressive policies on multiple occasions, appearing against abortion and advances in the rights of the LGBTQ+ population.
On traditional politics, the libertarian criticizes both the Argentine left and right, rejecting Peronism and affirming that the right has not done enough to be taken seriously, the main reason for which it competes against the ‘macrista’ current, represented in these elections by Patricia Bullrich.
The traditional right is hot on the heels of Milei
From Together for Change, Patricia Bullrich is optimistic about the results of an election that ratified her as the chosen one of the traditional right after a fierce electoral battle against the other option, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, the mayor of Buenos Aires.
“They chose us to lead a change that leaves behind corruption and waste. A change that leaves behind an education that is prey to a political dispute. Today we have taken an important step that opens up hope for us,” said the right-wing candidate, that also recognized the “good campaign” of Javier Milei.
Former Minister of Security in the Government of Mauricio Macri and with a Peronist past, Bullrich is wrapped in the banner of Together for Change with three basic pillars in her political discourse: bimonetarism, cuts in public spending and a strong hand against crime.
Within the political space of macrismo, Bullrich is characterized by a harsh and also confrontational tone, sometimes similar to Milei’s in forms. His plan was to win the primaries and try to drag the far-right into his candidacy, a missed opportunity having fallen behind the far-right.
The now candidate will seek to lead the opposition to the ruling party from the traditional current of the Argentine right, which has regained strength in recent years after its scandalous defeat in the 2019 presidential elections against Peronism, which was now seen on the other side of the balance suffering its worst electoral defeat for several decades.
Sergio Massa, the hope of the ruling party
The result of the PASO Elections also evidenced popular discontent with the Argentine left as a whole.
After Alberto Fernández announced that he was not going to run for the continuity of his party in power, the name of his Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, came to light as the commitment of Unión por la Patria to give continuity to his political project.
Stained by the lack of inflationary control and the economic crisis in the country, Sergio Massa will be in charge of motivating the citizens who gave his party the confidence to govern in 2019, to do so again in these new elections.
From the electoral headquarters of the coalition in Buenos Aires, Massa acknowledged the opening of “a new political scenario” in Argentina, but recalled that there are still opportunities for Peronism: “This is the end of the first period, we have the second period, and the extra time, and the penalties, and we will be fighting until the last minute”.
Despite the fact that, in percentage of votes, Unión por la Patria lagged behind the conservatives, Sergio Massa collected more votes than Bullrich and easily beat his internal rival, Juan Grabois, that is, he is the second most voted candidate After Miley. The politician called to “build a new majority” to beat “those who built out of hate.”
Alberto Fernández spoke in the same vein: “Now the real campaign begins.”
We are going through another democratic election day PASO that has defined the candidates of each political group for the general elections.
– Alberto Fernandez (@alferdez) August 14, 2023
Massa advocates continuing in the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund to reorganize the country’s foreign debt, in addition to encouraging the national economy through investments in the countryside and social programs that help mitigate the consequences of the high level of unemployment that Argentina is experiencing. currently.
All eyes will be on Argentina on October 22, waiting to find out if Milei’s breakthrough speech is worth it to reach the Casa Rosada, if Bullrich can lead macrismo to be the first opposition force in the country or if Massa achieves the miracle and achieves the permanence of the left in power.
With Reuters, EFE and local media
#Javier #Milei #big #surprise #primaries #Argentina