1 of 1 Patricia Bullrich during an event in Buenos Aires on August 7, 2023 — Photo: Matias Baglietto/Portal Patricia Bullrich during an event in Buenos Aires on August 7, 2023 — Photo: Matias Baglietto/Portal
The candidate Patricia Bullrich, defeated in the first round of elections in Argentina, declared this Wednesday (25) her support for the ultraliberal Javier Milei in the second round of elections in the country, which will take place on November 19.
Bullrich came third in Sunday’s (22) elections and her support was considered one of the crucial points for the second round due to vote migration she received around 24% of the vote.
The rightwing candidate and former security minister under former President Mauricio Macri, Bullrich criticized Milei throughout the campaign, even calling her ideas “dangerous and bad.”
However, in an interview this Wednesday, she explained that she wanted to prevent the “danger of Kirchnerism,” referring to Sergio Massa, an ally of former presidents Nestor and Cristina Kirchner. Massa, the country’s economy minister, surprised and came in first place with more than 36% of the vote. Milei, second, achieved around 29%.
“This moment calls us not to be neutral in the face of the danger of Sergio Massa’s Kirchnerism,” he explained. “When the homeland is in danger, everything is allowed.”
Indication of an already foreseeable split Within his Juntos por el Cambio coalition, Bullrich also said that his decision to ask for votes for Milei was a personal decision and not that of the coalition as a whole.
She was accompanied at the announcement by former President Mauricio Macri. There is an expectation that part of the coalition could support Massa in opposition to Milei.
Following Bullrich’s announcement, Javier Milei posted on his Twitter account a drawing of a lion as he likes to call himself hugging a duck, in reference to Patricia’s Spanish nickname.
During the election campaign in Argentina, Patricia Bullrich became known as the “law and order candidate”. She began her political career as a leftwing activist and moved to the right over the years until she became Macri’s minister.
The Argentine presidential candidates adapt their speech for the second round
Find out more about the two candidates running for the 2nd round.
Javier Milei has already stated that Pope Francis is a “disgusting leftist”, that the Argentine currency should not even be worth “excrement”, that he believes that the sale of human organs should be a market like the others and that for him The state is an enemy, and taxes are an obstacle to freedom.”