Javier Milei greets his supporters before his speech on November 19 in Buenos Aires.Juan Ignacio Roncoroni (EFE)
On one side of the ideological spectrum are Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Gustavo Petro; On the other hand, Jair Bolsonaro, Elon Musk and Santiago Abascal, the reactions of politicians and personalities from all over the world reflect the extremes with which the election of Javier Milei as the newly elected president of Argentina is being watched.
All eyes were on the elections because the far-right candidate launched attacks against China, the first trading partner, Brazil and Pope Francis during the campaign. Furthermore, because the results bring into play the fundamental consensus that has been reached in Argentina over the last decades after the overthrow of the dictatorship. For this reason, the word democracy was one of those that first appeared in international reactions.
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Donald Trump
The former American president congratulated Javier Milei on his own social network Truth Social. “Congratulations to Javier Milei for a great race for the presidency of Argentina,” he wrote in . “The whole world was watching! I am very proud of you. You will change your country and make Argentina truly great again!”
Lula
Without naming him, Brazilian Lula insisted that Milei keep her. “Democracy is the voice of the people. It must always be respected. I wish the new government good luck. “Brazil will always be available to cooperate with our Argentine friends,” Lula wrote on X (formerly Twitter). During the election campaign, Milei had declared that he would cut ties with Brazil because he viewed the country as a communist regime, despite it being one of his most important trading partners and strategic allies in the region.
Gustavo Petro
The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, also spoke early about the results, but without mentioning Milei. “The extreme right has won in Argentina; It is your company’s decision. “Sad for Latin America and we will see… neoliberalism no longer has a proposal for society,” he wrote on his social network X, later clarifying that relations between both countries “will remain in mutual respect.” “We expect from the progressive Argentine to provide assessments that will allow the Latin American peoples to learn from the lessons of history,” Petro added.
Luis Almagro
The Secretary General of the OAS congratulated Milei and wished him success in his term of office. “We hope to further strengthen cooperation for prosperity and democracy in Argentina,” Almagro wrote, even before Milei gave his victory speech.
Jair Bolsonaro and Santiago Abascal
The far-right former Brazilian president said that with Milei’s victory, “hope shines again in South America.” Similar words to Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far-right Spanish party Vox. “Today a path of future and hope opens for Argentines and all of Latin America, which we celebrate with particular joy in Spain,” wrote Abascal. Both Bolsonaro and Abascal hope that events in Argentina will spread to the United States, Brazil and Spain.
Elon Musk
But one of the most striking reactions was that of tycoon Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), Tesla and Spaceship. In one of his reply tweets to another celebrating Milei’s victory, Musk wrote on his own X account: “Argentina has prosperity ahead,” he wrote. The ultra-liberal businessman also responded to another tweet in which he said Milei’s victory was the beginning of the debacle for the left in other parts of the world. “I believe [que] “It’s a trend,” Musk added.
Gabriel Boric and Luis Lacalle Pou
Other leaders whose countries border Argentina have focused on cooperation and cooperation. Gabriel Boric, President of Chile, not only welcomed Milei, but also emphasized the “worthy recognition of the defeat” of Peronist Sergio Massa. “As President of Chile, I will work tirelessly to ensure that our sister nations remain united and work together for the good of all.” And from nearby Uruguay, its President Luis Lacalle Pou spoke of cooperation and an “improvement” of bilateral relations with Argentina.
USA
The US Ambassador to Argentina, Marc Stanley, also emphasized “the protection of human rights and democracy, the fight against climate change, improving the investment climate and investing in the middle class”. The diplomat said he hoped they would “work together on shared priorities that benefit the people of our two countries.”