On Sunday November 19th, Argentines will know whether they will be governed for the next four years by a far-right ultra-liberal, Javier Milei, or by the current Minister of Economy, the Peronist Sergio Massa (center-left). The two finalists in the first round of the presidential election on October 22 are tied in the polls, with a slight lead for the first place candidate.
On Thursday, November 16, the outsider (30% of the vote in the first round), who entered politics just three years ago, ended his campaign in Cordoba, 700 kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires, during a meeting in which an impressive crowd gathered Sergio Massa (36.8%) had voted, in contrast to the large gatherings attended by Peronism (named after former President Juan Peron, in office from 1946 to 1955 and from 1973 to 1974) is used to the quieter and more intimate atmosphere in the courtyard of one of the most important public schools in Buenos Aires, the Carlos-Pellegrini, to which the press was not allowed access.
The campaign seemed to last forever. Argentines spent the year at the polls, between municipal, provincial, primary, parliamentary and presidential elections. Everything can be decided at the last moment, with undecided voters still making up 8 to 10% of the electorate. Javier Milei will certainly benefit from a large share of the votes of those who voted against Peronism in the first round, namely 64% of voters. The center-left movement, which has been in power for 16 of the last twenty years and has evolved significantly in the 78 years of its existence, is blamed for runaway inflation (143% in one year) and the poverty rate of 40 made%, although this increase particularly increased during the center-right government of Mauricio Macri between 2015 and 2019.
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Many of his voters believe that Mr. Milei will not have the resources to implement his most extreme projects due to a lack of seats in Congress. Then why vote for him? “Between plague and cholera, it is difficult to choose, but any candidate for change is preferable to the continuity of Sergio Massa and Peronism, which we no longer want,” explains Ana Maria Croce, 71 years old, who works in a medical analysis laboratory.
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Javier Milei can expect a transfer of votes from the third-placed right-wing candidate Patricia Bullrich from Mauricio Macri’s Juntos por el Cambio (“Together for Change”) party on October 22nd. Both assured Javier Milei of their support shortly after the first round. A decisive rally, as Ms. Bullrich received 6.2 million votes (23.8%). She was present next to him on stage at the Cordoba meeting on Thursday evening.
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