Provisional results indicate that far-right libertarian outsider Javier Milei has emerged victorious in Argentina’s presidential run-off election.
Sergio Massa, the minister of economics and finance, called Mr. Milei to relent.
After congratulating Mr. Milei on his win, former US President Donald Trump declared that he would “Make Argentina Great Again!”
Argentina is going through a tough period right now due to a crisis-ridden economy and growing inflation.
Desperate voters supported Mr. Milei’s suggestions, which included “blowing up” the central bank.
Provisional data indicate that he surprised pollsters by easily defeating the governing Peronists’ candidate by almost 10 points.
After over 90% of the ballots were tallied, Mr. Milei received roughly 56% of the vote, while Mr. Massa received 44%.
Buenos Aires, after Mr. Milei’s victory speech to supporters, he declared: “Today is the first day of Argentina’s reconstruction.” The collapse of Argentina is beginning to finish now.
“The decadent model is no longer relevant. There’s no turning around.
“Argentina will take back the position in the world that it rightfully never lost. To help create a better world, we will collaborate with every country in the free globe.”
“Clearly, the results are not what we expected,” Mr. Massa stated following his defeat. To congratulate Javier Milei, I’ve already spoken with him.
“From tomorrow the responsibility of providing certainty belongs to Milei.”
The previous pundit, who had once been seen on the campaign trail brandishing a chainsaw, prevailed in a close contest that went all the way to the wire.
Javier Milei has been compared to former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro and US President Donald Trump.
Despite his lack of political experience, a large portion of the electorate found him appealing because of his outsider status.
His fans cheered when he announced that the US dollar will become the nation’s official currency. However, many analysts believe it might signal a financial catastrophe.
His victory demonstrates that Argentines are tired of traditional politics and the country’s dire economic situation in a nation where two out of every five people live in poverty and annual inflation is currently over 140%.
His success indicates that they are open to attempting something different in an endeavor to improve their lot in life.
Former President Trump responded to the outcome by writing on his Truth Social platform, saying, “Everyone was watching! I’m really pleased with you.”
Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor for the White House, congratulated Mr. Milei on his victory “and to the people of Argentina for holding free and fair elections”.
In a post to X, he stated that the United States “look forward to building on our strong bilateral relationship based on our shared commitment to human rights, democratic values, and transparency” .
South American leaders have also reacted to Mr. Milei’s triumph. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, posted on social media, wishing the new government luck and prosperity. Argentina is a wonderful nation that has our utmost admiration.”
He said, “Brazil will always be available to work together with our Argentine brothers,” on the defunct Twitter platform X.
During the campaign, Mr. Milei called Lula a “angry communist” and openly criticized his ideas.
Gustavo Petro, the left-wing president of Colombia, described the election’s outcome as “sad for Latin America”. “Neoliberalism no longer has a proposal for society, it cannot respond to humanity’s current problems,” he wrote in a post on X.
Gabriel Boric, the president of Chile, praised Mr. Milei “for his victory and Sergio Massa for his worthy recognition of defeat”.
He wrote on X: “I wish the Argentine people the best and know that they will always have our respect and support.”
