In the final phase of the election, candidates are running for president Argentina This Sunday, the 8th, they took part in the last debate before the vote, scheduled for the 22nd. After expressing solidarity with Israel for the attack by Hamas terrorists, the presidential candidates went into confrontation. There was criticism of the incumbent economics minister, Sergio Massaand for the libertarian Javier Milei, who emerged victorious and favorite in PASO, the Argentine primaries. Under the eyes of their competitors, the two exhausted the answers they were entitled to in the first half of the debate.
The libertarian has captured the attention of voters dissatisfied with the crisis by defending radical measures such as dollarizing the economy and ending the central bank with a speech against the political system, but that’s not all. The candidate has already defended the release of weapons and spoken out in favor of the sale of organs. These lines are more indigestible, especially for those who are not yet convinced, and Milei used the answers to try to explain herself.
Presidential candidates take part in the final debate in Argentina. Photo: AGUSTIN MARCARIAN / AFP
The withdrawal came in response to Patrícia Bullrich, the representative of the Macrista right, who was in third place (27.7%) in a poll published at the end of last year, behind Milei (27.9%) and Prime Minister Sergio Massa (30th). %) appeared month. In this scenario of a neardraw in a bitter dispute, the former minister recently changed her strategy and went headtohead with the libertarian, as she did on Sunday evening.
“Milei, look at your campaign proposal: deregulation and freeing up of weapons. If the proposal changes, it is because he was not convinced. I tell moms and dads that when guns go, they stay in their hands [da facção] Go momos. In the end, guns will kill children in schools. This is the truth,” emphasized Mauricio Macri’s former minister.
In invoking the right to respond, Milei reiterated a retreat from the libertarian campaign amid the gun controversy and took the opportunity to try to explain another controversy, the sale of organs. He also accused his competitor of spreading lies and told her to relax.
“Not only does she live by the lies her campaign team tells her, she also shows an astonishing lack of flexibility. We propose that gun rights be respected and not, as today, full of restrictions that only benefit criminals. It seems like she is very tense, please let her go a little,” Milei said.
“We also do not propose the sale of organs, we say that 7,000 people are waiting for a transplant and potential donors, there is something that does not work in between and generates a lot of corruption,” concluded the libertarian who has already made an exit through the market for defended the transplant queue.
Javier Milei during the last presidential debate in Argentina. Photo: Agustin Marcarian / AP
Since he was still dealing with the issue of public security, the first part of the debate, Bullrich took the opportunity to attack Sergio Massa, saying that he did not have the “moral authority” to speak on the issue since he was in the government is. This is a cause for concern in Argentina, where there has recently been a wave of violence with looting in supermarkets amid the crisis.
But it was the economic agenda that Massa criticized most. “I’ll remind you again. There are two million more poor people since you arrived. Today no one can buy a house or pay rent. “The only people who buy houses are the Kirchnerists, their friends,” accused Bullrich, who even asked when the minister would stop “stealing.”
The criticism was reinforced by the governor of Córdoaba Juan Schiaretti of Falemos pelo Nosso País: “He is the minister who reduced inflation from 65% to 140%; the dollar, which was previously at $250, is now at $900 at the parallel exchange rate; There are so many exchange rates because there are no reserves in the central bank, they reach 10, like in Chinchón.”
The final debate will feature Argentina’s main presidential candidates, Patrícia Bullrich, Sergio Massa and Javier Milei. Photo: AGUSTIN MARCARIAN / AFP
Former Chamber of Deputies President Sergio Massa took over Argentina’s economy ministry last year amid a Peronist crisis. Martin Guzman, who had headed the department since the start of the government, was ousted by friendly fire from Vice President Cristina Kirchner, who criticized him for the agreement with the IMF, the International Monetary Fund. He was then replaced by Silvina Batakiswho spent less than a month in that position and was replaced by Sergio Massa.
Further to the left, candidate Myriam Bregman asked Economy Minister Sergio Massa if he could live on the average salary that Argentines receive today (about 124,000 Argentine pesos).
And it was precisely one answer to Myriam that led to the biggest direct conflict between the two frontrunners in the polls. Milei explained that the candidate does not understand economics when he defends reducing working hours as a job creation tool. “A wise man said, ‘If socialists knew anything about economics, they wouldn’t be socialists.’ “It’s your case, Myriam,” said the libertarian.
Massa then used the right of reply to intervene in the discussion. “Look where it went. Stop disrespecting women. I think they have the right to express their opinion even if they think differently. Show your authoritarianism,” he replied.
Lula’s influence on the campaign
The confrontation between the presidential candidates comes amid the president’s growing influence Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the election campaign in the neighboring country. This week is the Estadao revealed this In July, the government asked Planning Minister Simone Tebet, Brazil’s CAF governor, to vote in favor of releasing loans to Argentina’s struggling economy.
According to the government, the intent of the intervention was to help an important trading partner of Brazil in the region. As a minister and candidate, Massa was in Brazil in August, where he spoke with Lula and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad about further possible aid for the Argentine economy.
Libertarian candidate Javier Milei, who emerged victorious in the primary, echoed the news report Estadao He criticized Lula on his account on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter. “The red caste is shaking,” said the libertarian. He also accused Lula of opposing his candidacy, which Planalto denies.