Candidates for the country’s Presidency exchanged accusations and, according to the Argentine press, the confrontation ended without a winner or loser
With Argentina in crisis with the increase in poverty It is high inflationO 1st debate between the candidates for the country’s Presidency, held on Sunday (October 1, 2023), was marked by economic themes. Javier Milei, Sergio Massa, Patricia Bullrich, Juan Schiaretti and Myriam Bregman are competing in the 1st round of the election on October 22nd.
The evaluation of the Argentine press — like that made by newspapers La Nation It is Clarin– is that you don’t hear a winner or a loser. The publications cited the climate of tension between the candidates and the exchange of accusations – especially between Milei and Massa, who lead the dispute according to voting intention polls.
Massa criticized Milei’s dollarization plan and tried to untangle of Argentine president, Alberto Fernández. He made mention of the government, but not directly occupying the Casa Rosada. He also did not mention the vice president, Cristina Kirchner.
“I am clear that inflation is a huge problem in Argentina. I am also clear that this government’s mistakes caused harm to people”, stated Massa. “And so, even though I wasn’t part [da atual gestão] until taking over as Minister of Economy [em agosto de 2022], my apologies”, he added.
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Milei led the August 13, 2023 primary election with 30.4% of the vote. He is on the right on the ideological political spectrum, with liberal ideas on the economy. She advocates closing the country’s Central Bank, ending the peso and using the US dollar as the local currency. He defines himself as “anarcho-capitalist” It is “libertarian” –is against State interference in society, in favor of the free market system and claims to want to end a system of “grape varieties” that would be in force in the country. He says his program will be a “chainsaw” to cut public spending.
The candidate declared that “Argentina began the 20th century as the richest country in the world” – position that has been lost over the years because of “caste model” in force. “We propose to reform the State, drastically reduce public spending, reduce taxes, carry out privatizations to get rid of disastrous state-owned companies, open the economy and close the Central Bank“, he said.
Other candidates also questioned Massa’s management at the Ministry of Economy. Patricia Bullrich blamed the candidate for “economic disaster” and asked him to explain “as being the worst Minister of Economy” could turn into “best president” for Argentina. Juan Schiaretti asked the Argentines if their lives “improved” since Massa took over the Ministry of Economy.
Myriam Bregman turned to Milei, saying that he “not a lion“, but “is a spoiled kitten of economic power”.
In one of the segments of the debate, on human rights, Milei questioned the number of people missing during the Argentine dictatorship. “There were not 30,000 missing, there were 8,753“, he said.
O Unified Register of Victims of State Terrorism To this day, it compiles the number of deaths and missing people during the period in which Argentina faced the dictatorship. The latest report, from 2015, indicates that the official number is 8,631, but the text recognizes that the figure is an underestimate.
Bullrich took advantage of this segment to defend his political activism in the 1970s. “They [seus adversários] They call me violent. But I’m not. I was part of a youth organization [Montoneros]”, he said. “And I always said that. I say this here, in front of millions of Argentines. The same thing happened to other leaders, like [o sul-africano Nelson] Mandela and [o uruguaio José] Mujica, who were leaders of their countries”, he added.
The candidates also discussed education and democratic coexistence, but, according to the Argentine press, without the intensity seen in the discussion about the economy.
The 2nd debate will be held next Sunday (October 8) at the law faculty of the University of Buenos Aires. It will start at 9pm (Brasília time). At this meeting, candidates will discuss safety, work, production, human development and environmental protection.
If there is a 2nd round of elections, it will be held on November 19th. In this scenario, a 3rd debate will be held on November 12, also at the law faculty of the University of Buenos Aires.
DISPUTE
Most opinion polls show Milei leading the race, followed by Massa and Bullrich. The most recent survey, by Atlas Intel and published by the newspaper Profile on Friday (September 29, 2023), indicated the minister with 30.7% voting intentions in the 1st round. Milei appears in 2nd place in the electoral race, with 27.9% of votes. The 2 are tied, within the margin of error.
The survey interviewed 3,778 people online from September 20 to 10, 2023. The margin of error is 2 pp (percentage points) in a 95% confidence interval.
Patricia Bullrich has 27.7% of voting intentions. Juan Schiaretti and Myriam Bregman have, respectively, 4.8% It is 2.1% of votes.
Meet the candidates:
- Javier Mileicoalition “La Libertad Advances”
Born on October 22, 1970 in Buenos Aires, Milei He has a degree in economics from the University of Belgrano. He has 2 master’s degrees from the Institute of Economic and Social Development and the Torcuato di Tella University.
He was chief economist at the private pension company Máxima AFJP and the financial advisory company Estudio Broda.
He also worked as a senior economist at HSBC and as an economic advisor to the military and former deputy Antonio Domingo Bussi, accused of crimes against humanity committed when he was governor of Tucumán.
The 52-year-old Argentine is also a member of B20 (Business 20), a dialogue group related to the G20 for the business sector, and the World Economic Forum. He has also served as a university professor of economics subjects.
In politics, Milei was elected deputy in 2021. He presents himself as a right-wing conservative politician “different from anything else out there” and use the motto “against the political caste”, which, according to the deputy, refers to Argentine politicians who live off the State, make policies “against the population” and that do not solve the country’s problems.
- Sergio Massabroken “Union for the Fatherland”
Sergio Tomás Massa, 51 years old, was born on April 28, 1972 in the city of San Martín, in the province of Buenos Aires. He has a degree in Law from the University of Belgrano.
His political career began in 1999, when he was elected provincial deputy of Buenos Aires. Three years later, in 2002, he was appointed by the then Argentine president, Eduardo Duhalde, to command the Anses (National Social Security Administration). He held the position for 5 years.
In 2007, Massa, already a supporter of Kirchnerism – a left-wing political ideology related to former president Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Kirchner, current vice-president of Argentina –, was elected mayor of the city of Tigre, in the province of Buenos Aires.
However, he had to leave his position after being appointed, in July 2009, Chief of Staff to then president Cristina Kirchner. He remained in the position for almost 1 year. After this period, Massa returned to Tigre’s mayorship, and was re-elected in 2011. He also served as national deputy from 2013 to 2017 and from 2019 to 2022.
In the 2019 presidential elections, the lawyer even considered his candidacy, but withdrew to support the ticket of Alberto Fernández and Cristina Kirchner, current rulers of Argentina.
On August 3, 2022, Massa left his position as deputy and became the 3rd Minister of Economy under Fernández’s administration. He came to command the body after the president decided to unify the ministries of Economy, Productive Development and Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries in an attempt to centralize actions to solve the country’s economic crisis.
- Patricia Bullrichcoalition “Together for the Change”
Known as the Argentine iron lady, Patricia Bullrich Luro Pueyrredon was born on June 11, 1956 in Buenos Aires. She has a degree in humanities and social sciences with a focus on Communication from the University of Palermo and a master’s and doctorate in political science from the University of San Martín.
In 1973, when he was 17 years old, Bullrich joined Juventude Peronista, a youth group of Peronism, a left-wing political movement related to the former Argentine president, Juan Domingo Perón.
Although her political roots are linked to the left, the presidential candidate presents herself as a center-right politician. She is currently president of Propuesta Republicana, which is part of the Juntos por el Cambio coalition.
Bullrich was deputy for Buenos Aires from 1993 to 1997 and 2007 to 2015. She has also served as Minister of Labor (2000-2001), Minister of Social Security (2001) and Minister of Security (2015-2019).
- Juan Schiaretticoalition “We do it for Our Country”
O Peronist candidate he came in 6th place in the primaries, with 3.83% of the vote. Born on June 19, 1949, Schiaretti is a public accountant from the National University of Córdoba.
He is currently governor of the province of Córdoba. He has also been deputy three times: from 1993 to 1997, 2001 to 2003 and 2013 to 2015. He also served as vice-governor of Córdoba and secretary of Industry for the Nation.
His electoral campaign focuses on a speech critical of the governing coalition, promising to reverse inflation that he says has been intensified by Kirchnerism.
- Myriam Bregmancoalition “Izquierda y de Trabajadores Front”
Born on February 25, 1972, Bregman graduated in Law from the University of Buenos Aires. She was elected national deputy in 2009, 2011 and 2015.
In the primary elections, the left-wing candidate received 1.86% of the votes, placing 7th in the dispute.
Among his main campaign proposals, Bregman proposes an economic program “so that the crisis is paid for by those who generated it”in reference to big Argentine businessmen, banks and landowners.
She also defends breaking with the IMF and not paying the debt to the fund. “May this money be used to pay salaries, create jobs and guarantee access to health, education and housing”says the proposal plan presented by the candidate online.
It also supports the nationalization of banks and foreign trade to “prevent capital flight”providing credit to local Argentine entrepreneurs.
THE ELECTIONS
In Argentina, presidential elections are held every 4 years. The same period is used for the Chamber election, which elects almost half of the deputies (130 or 127, alternately at each election, out of 257 seats). Senators have 6-year terms. Each election chooses one third of the Upper House, which has 72 seats.
For governor elections, each province has its own calendar. This year, only 4 will choose new heads of the Executive: Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Entre Ríos and Santa Cruz.
In general elections, presidential candidates need at least 45% of the votes or 40% and a difference of 10 percentage points in relation to the other candidates to win in the 1st round. If no one reaches this mark, a 2nd round will be necessary, which is scheduled to be held on November 19, 2023. In this case, the candidate with the highest number of votes wins.
Understand the schedule for elections in Argentina this year:
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