Argentine Election: Minister of Economy and far-right libertarian advance to the second round
Sergio Massa, the current Minister of Economy, won the first round of the Argentinian presidential election.
The current Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, surprised everyone by winning the first round of the presidential election. Now, he will face Javier Milei, the election's runner-up, in the run-off.
Massa, who represents the Peronist establishment and has served as the Minister since August 2022, was not expected to win the vote, especially not with a strong 7% lead (37% vs 30%), with most polls showing the lead of the anti-establishment Milei. With inflation rising to almost 140%, austerity and rising poverty, the current government struggled with approval ratings, with the incumbent president Alberto Fernandez being especially unpopular.
As a result, Milei, an economist who gained notoriety for his eccentric appearances on TV and very recent entry into politics in 2021, became a popular first choice due to his promise of radical change. With regards to the economy, this self-described anarcho-capitalist proposed to abolish the central bank and dollarise it to solve the issue of the falling value of the peso. He also vowed to abolish numerous ministries such as Education, Public Works, Environment (Milei is a climate change denier) and Science. His other highly publicised proposal is the legalisation of organ trade.
However, Milei hardly represents a libertarian approach on other issues. He wants to ban abortion even in cases of rape, considering it murder. His opposition to the promotion of inclusive language is also well-known.
It is now up to the supporters of the other candidates to decide who they prefer. Whilst those who voted for Juan Schiaretti, another Peronist, and Myriam Bregman, a Trotskyist, will probably support Massa, this will not guarantee him victory - their combined result was less than 10% and some of them stayed at home for the second round.
It is now up to supporters of centre-right liberal Patricia Bullrich, who received 24%, to decide. It is too early to predict how Bullrich's vote will be divided in the run-off. On the one hand, Massa, a representation of the highly-disliked current government, is not the way to go. On the other hand, Milei might be too radical and unpredictable with his proposals. The surprisingly strong performance of Messa suggests many might prefer the known to the unknown. The upcoming second-round should make it more clear, but the definitive result will emerge after the run-off on November 19th.