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Good News from Argentina? [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-10-23  

Hot on the heels of Poland’s surprising electoral victory for the democratic opposition over the increasingly authoritarian right-wing (but still resolutely anti-Russian) government, Sunday’s first-round presidential election in Argentina dealt an equally unexpected setback to their radical populist/libertarian extremist candidate, Javier Milei. As detailed in The Guardian:

Supporters of Milei, a potty-mouthed political outsider described as an Argentinian mashup of Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro and Boris Johnson, had hoped he was heading for a sensational outright victory similar to Bolsonaro’s shock triumph in Brazil in 2018.

From this photo, Milei reminds me of Tucker Carlson auditioning as Doctor Who.

However, with nearly 99% of votes counted, it was his Peronist rival Massa who won the day with 36.6% of the 27m votes cast. Milei – who has promised to abolish Argentina’s central bank and shun its biggest trade partners, China and Brazil – came second with 29.9%. The third main candidate, the conservative former security minister, Patricia Bullrich, finished third, with about 23.8%.

This contrasts with the August primary results in which Milei placed first with 30%, to Massa’s 20%, and considering that Massa is the economics minister in the current Peronist government (and as such could be held responsible for Argentina’s horrendous inflation rate approaching 150%), this type of turnaround is almost unprecedented.

As he cast his vote on Sunday, Milei, who shot to fame as a television pundit prone to rhapsodizing about tantric sex, claimed he could lead “the best government in history” if elected. “We’re going to decide whether we can make Argentina a power again or turn ourselves into the biggest shantytown on Earth,” the raggedy-haired populist said after jostling through a sea of supporters and journalists to reach a university polling station. Marcela Pagano, a television journalist running for a place in congress for La Libertad Avanza, predicted angry voters were poised to “boot out” the traditional politicians many blame for plunging 40% of citizens into poverty and triple-digit inflation. “I believe he’s the only one who can get Argentina off the ground,” Pagano said of Milei, who made the chainsaw one of the main emblems of his campaign – supposedly to symbolise plans to slash spending and dismember the political establishment. … A Massa victory is not assured given that many of Bullrich’s right-wing voters may migrate to Milei.

Fortunately, though Bullrich is a conservative, she has denounced Milei and his policies in no uncertain terms, and Massa seems to be doing a fairly good job of reaching out to the non-crazy opposition to form a potential national unity government, so keep your fingers crossed for a hopeful outcome in the November 19 runoff.

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