Argentina’s first presidential debate ended with no clear winner. The right-wing extremist candidate, the economist Javier Milei, did not shine this Sunday on the star topic, the country’s difficult economic situation, but he didn’t need to either. Milei was the favorite in the polls ahead of the October 22 general election, preferring not to take risks and managing to keep his well-known anger under control. It was enough to get out alive from the televised dispute in which he was one of the most criticized candidates alongside Sergio Massa, the current economy minister and candidate of the ruling Peronism. Massa breathed a sigh of relief: his rivals only mentioned in passing the major scandals that emerged within their ranks in the final weeks of the election campaign. Together for Change candidate Patricia Bullrich was the least energetic. She needed a good performance to come back – she’s in third place in voting intentions – and she didn’t. It stalled several times and its opponents attacked it on its weakest side: the economic proposals.
The debate took place in Santiago del Estero, in the north of the country. It began with a brief introduction of the five candidates for the Argentine presidency – Milei, Massa, Bullrich, the progressive Myriam Bregman and the provincial governor of Córdoba and dissident Peronist Juan Schiaretti – before fully entering the economic bloc. Bregman’s initial reference to the holiday in Marbella, for which a senior Kirchnerist official resigned this Saturday – “While they are starving people, they are touring Europe on their luxury yachts” – suggested that this was one of the repeated attacks would be night, but it wasn’t like that. Only Bullrich used it again to respond to Massa’s proposal to pass a law that would punish tax evaders with prison sentences. “You already have the first one. Bring it on [Martín] “Insaurralde,” he replied.
Candidates Javier Milei and Sergio Massa after greeting each other during the debate. POOL (via Portal)
The attacks of the candidates who rejected Massa because of his poor results at the head of the financial palace focused on the economic part. They accused him of pushing inflation to the current 124.4%, increasing poverty to over 40% and enacting “small money plans” that only exacerbate the currency issue and the budget deficit. Massa admitted that he made some mistakes, but above all blamed the government of Mauricio Macri for the country’s debt, the International Monetary Fund for dictating economic policy and tax evaders, and many others. And he offered a series of proposals, such as the creation of a digital currency, a money laundering law and prison sentences for those who defraud the Treasury. Towards the end of the debate he said that if he reached the Casa Rosada he would call for a major national unity.
In this first bloc, the candidates also attacked Milei, who was asking for votes and time to implement his ultra-liberal economic project. “If you give me 20 years, we will be Germany. If they give me 35… United States,” promised the leader of La Libertad Avanza. His most criticized proposal was dollarization. Bullrich warned that Argentina has no dollars to adopt it, while Massa stressed that this model “only three countries in the world have: Zimbabwe, Ecuador and El Salvador.” Bregman emphasized the ultra-liberal economist’s business connections: “He’s not a lion, he’s a cuddly kitten of economic power.”
The candidate Javier Milei, during the debate. Tomás Cuesta (EFE /POOL)
The format chosen for the debate, with only five replies during the two-hour duration, prevented interruptions and major overlap between the five candidates. There was a mocking smile from Milei in the face of some attacks and gestural denials from Massa, but when they made any comments they could not be heard because their microphones were turned off when it was not their turn. Massa and Milei issued their replicas in the economic bloc where they feel most comfortable, while the other candidates chose to distribute them. The large difference in voting intention between Bregman and Schiaretti – less than 5% in both cases – compared to the three central opponents left them out of this fight. The Cordoba governor’s repeated comparisons between Argentina and his province diverted attention from his interventions and he subsequently became fodder for memes on social networks.
Patricia Bullrich, Together for Change presidential candidate, during the debate. Tomás Cuesta (EFE /POOL)
In the second block, education, the roles among the right-wing leaders were reversed. Bullrich gained some security and Milei lost it. Both read a large portion of their contributions, making them less natural, but the La Libertad Avanza candidate faltered when explaining his controversial education voucher proposal. “Don’t give them any more fish. We will teach them to fish or start a fishing business,” Milei said. “Go to Puna, wherever, with the voucher. You don’t know Argentina. They propose a model that only works for the city of Buenos Aires. “The voucher is not equality,” Bullrich responded. Milei didn’t have time to answer anymore and couldn’t answer him.
Denialistic speech
The public was able to select a few issues and vote to include human rights, one of the most controversial points. Milei made it clear that he has adopted the dictatorial denial ideas of his vice presidential candidate, Victoria Villarruel. “We value the vision of memory, truth and justice. Let’s start with the truth. “There were not 30,000 missing people, there were 8,753,” he emphasized, taking as the only valid figure that of the “Never Again” report of the National Commission on Disappearance of Persons (Conadep) from 1984. For Milei, there was no dictatorship Argentina, but “a war” in which “state forces committed excesses.” Bregman responded harshly: “Milei defiles the word freedom.”
The last part was dedicated to questions and answers between the candidates. Milei threatened to lose her manners a few times, but caught herself in time. One of them was when Massa reminded him of his harsh attacks on Pope Francis and urged him to ask for forgiveness. “Stop bullying and dedicate yourself to reducing inflation,” replied the leader of La Libertad Avanza, who assured that he had not yet entered politics, when he said that the Pope was an “idiot,” an “ dirty leftist” and the “representative of evil.” In the next round, Schiaretti upset him again. He asked Milei how he would implement his education plan if education was the responsibility of the provinces; The candidate evaded an answer he didn’t have.
Hacemos por Nuestro País presidential candidate Juan Schiarett during the debate. POOL (via Portal)
The next presidential debate will take place on Sunday, October 8th in Buenos Aires. It will be the last opportunity for the candidates to compete against each other before the elections on the 22nd of this month. If neither of them wins with 45% of the vote or with 40% with a gap of at least 10 points to the second person, the two with the most votes go to the second round and debate again in front of the cameras before the election meeting.