Argentina: Clarin poll, Milei always ahead, Massa second and Bullrich third
Clarín used Opinaia, a pioneering online measurement company whose customers include the government of Buenos Aires. Between August 15th and 23rd, 2,000 people were interviewed and the results presented with an error rate of +/- 2.2%. Voting intent for the October 22 election sees Milei at 35%, while second place would be hard fought between Massa and Bullrich, with a slight advantage for first (25% to 23%). In the inevitable runoff, Milei would defeat Massa, 49% to 30%, but also Bullrich, albeit by a smaller margin, namely 39% to 31%.
“Full dollarization”: IMF technicians “help” Milei, who wants to do it if he wins
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has sent at least three technical reports to Milei’s team related to the proposal to dollarize Argentina’s economy. These reports cover cases of dollarization in various countries. “Full Dollarization” is the title of someone analyzing the implications for a nation and the pros and cons of full currency conversion, as Milei suggests. In short, the American bureaucracy is taking things seriously and IMF technicians responded to Milei’s request at their first meeting on Friday after the election. Since then there has been almost daily contact between the two teams.
The IMF’s work with Milei goes beyond textual suggestions. The group led by Luis Cubeddu wrote down the notes they took after the first meeting on August 18th. Milei believes the economy must be rebalanced before dollarization goes ahead and understands that Washington has no clear vision of the next administration’s transition.
Venezuela: Latest poll raises fears Chavismo will prevent opposition primaries
Studying ORC Consultores across the country gives María Corina Machado a huge lead over her internal rivals and Nicolás Maduro. According to the poll, the leader of the Vente Popular would prevail in the opposition primaries with almost 70% of the vote, while in a possible presidential election she would triple Maduro. Of the 1,111 respondents between July 28 and August 5, 47.2% supported the opposition and only 13.5% expressed support for Maduro. With these figures, the regime will do everything it can to prevent its main competitor, Maria Corina, from participating.
Paolo Manzo, September 9, 2023
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