The Juntos por el Cambio candidate had the biggest clashes with Sergio Massa and Javier Milei
Argentina’s second presidential election debate, held on Sunday (October 8, 2023), did not have the tepid tone of last week. Juntos por el Cambio candidate Patricia Bullrich targeted Economy Minister Sergio Massa and survived 14 days until the first round, which will take place on October 22nd.
The central themes of the debate were security, labor, production, human development and environmental protection. However, the candidates did not stop talking about economic proposals and the legacy that current President Alberto Fernández will leave behind.
Bullrich criticized the government candidate’s management, spending control proposals and the idea of an Argentine FBI proposed by Massa.
She also clashed with candidate Javier Milei from the La Libertad Avanza coalition. He questioned the organ sales project and asked Milei why he was denying climate change and the 30,000 people who disappeared during the dictatorship.
Milei responded that she does not deny climate change and that it is a “cyclical” process in history. He said that if elected he would not adhere to the UN’s 2030 Agenda, which he called “cultural Marxism.” The rightwing candidate also proposed a reform of the labor system and said that the budget deficit was responsible for the tax increase and the rise in inflation.
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Government candidate Sergio Massa declared that Argentina had overcome the crisis and “the worst is over.” The Minister of Economy proposed access to credit for the purchase of houses and the reform of the criminal code to arrest “those who cut down forests and those who pollute the environment”.
The candidates also spoke about the war between Hamas and Israel. Massa said he intended to put the group on the “terrorist” list. The candidate of the Frente de Izquierda, Myriam Bregman, was the only one who did not express solidarity with the attack. He said that Tel Aviv was responsible for the incident of practicing “apartheid” against the Palestinians. The other candidates expressed their solidarity with the Israelis.
CHOOSE
Presidential elections take place every four years in Argentina. The same period is used for the chamber election, in which almost half of the deputies are elected (130 or 127, alternating each election, out of 257 seats). Senators serve 6year terms. Each election elects a third of the upper house, which has 72 seats.
Each province has its own calendar for gubernatorial elections. This year, only four new heads of the executive branch will be elected: Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Entre Ríos and Santa Cruz.
In general elections, presidential candidates need at least 45% of the vote, or 40% and a difference of 10 percentage points relative to the other candidates, to win in the first round. If no one reaches this mark, a second round of voting will be necessary, which will take place on November 19, 2023. In this case, the candidate with the highest number of votes wins.
Understand the schedule for Argentina’s elections this year:
