The electoral campaign before the second round was characterized by an aggressive tone. According to consistent reports, a total of five people were arrested in advance for alleged threats against candidate Massa. Following the arrest of three men and one woman on Friday, an 18-year-old woman was arrested on Saturday in the city of Salta, in northern Argentina, according to Security Minister Aníbal Fernández.
Milei, who describes himself as an “anarcho-capitalist”, received 30% of the vote in the first round in October. He was originally expected to finish first in the first round, but Peronist Massa, 51, won with more than 36% of the vote.
Now, according to polls, the two candidates are very close – and will have to fight mainly for the votes of the undecided voters. As current Minister of Economy, Massa has a very bad starting position, because the huge inflation is not decreasing.
Inflation reached over 142 percent
In October, consumer prices increased by 142.7% year on year. In September the rate was 138.3 percent. Inflation thus reached a new high – although it has remained consistently at least in double digits for more than a decade.
The performances of AP/Rodrigo Abd Milei also drew attention beyond the country’s borders
Thus, inflation and the fall in the value of the peso are at the center of the electoral campaign. The two candidates’ approaches could hardly be more different. Massa wants to protect the social system from the Peronists, and in the run-up to the elections they also invested heavily in the state treasury to keep voters happy. He ordered mass new hiring in the public sector, approved higher tax deductions and granted one-off payments to employees and pensioners.
However, Milei’s proposals have also made people sit up and pay attention outside of Argentina: he wants to introduce the US dollar as legal tender, “blow up” the central bank, abolish many ministries and radically cut social spending. He is against abortion and sex education and denies human responsibility for climate change. This fueled even more comparisons with former US President Donald Trump.
No more presentations with chainsaws
But after the first round of voting, Milei seemed much more moderate. Although she attacked China and the Pope during the election campaign, she curbed her rhetoric ahead of the second round of elections, Portal news agency reported. He also no longer repeated his appearances with a chainsaw – as a symbol that she wanted to significantly reduce the size of the government.
This is probably also due to the support of one of the eliminated candidates: former Interior Minister Patricia Bullrich, from the conservative opposition bloc “Together for Change” (Juntos por el Cambio, JxC), narrowly missed the second round of the elections, with 24 percent. A few days after the election, Bullrich recommended Milei. This means “change”, while Economy Minister Massa, from the government camp, means “mafia-like continuity”.
Support can fuel directional disputes
Former conservative president Mauricio Macri also supported Milei. But the ultraliberal candidate’s support is anything but indisputable within his own ranks, because the bold announcements, such as the introduction of the dollar as a means of payment, do not correspond to the conservative line.
AP/Pool/Luis Robayo Massa was ahead after the first round of voting
If Milei wins with Macri and Bullrich in the background, it could elevate them both to influential positions. If Milei fails, however, the rapprochement between the two conservatives and the populist could widen the fissures in the opposition alliance and trigger a debate over direction.
Risky move for Milei too
But even for Milei, joining forces with the conservatives is a risk. After all, he described the political elite as a “caste” and eliminated candidate Bullrich as a “child killer,” Portal wrote. Milei’s libertarian party alliance, La Libertad Avanza (German: Freedom Advances), was correspondingly cautious: “There is no alliance with Macri,” a spokesman for the bloc told Portal.
Numerous tasks await the winners of the elections
In any case, some tasks await the final winner of the elections. In addition to inflation, the country suffers from huge debts and poor financial management; Financial crises have been going on for decades. The country also suffers from a bloated state apparatus, low industrial productivity and a large underground economy that deprives the State of much tax revenue.
Argentina has high debts with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and more than a third of the almost 47 million inhabitants live below the poverty line. The two opponents’ approaches to solving these problems could hardly be more different. The new president takes office on December 10th.