On Sunday, Argentines will vote in a run-off election to determine who will lead the South American country for the next four years. The two candidates, left-wing economy minister Sergio Massa and far-right libertarian Javier Milei, are neck and neck in opinion polls.
Mr. Massa won the first round with 36.7% to Mr. Milei’s 30%. However, polls show that Mr Milei, who has promised to “blow up” Argentina’s political system, has gained ground since then. The polls open at 08:00 local time (11:00 GMT) and close at 18:00. With 40% of Argentines living in poverty, voters’ top concerns are high prices and skyrocketing inflation.
Many people were surprised when Mr Massa, who has been in charge of the economy since the country’s annual inflation rate reached 143%, beat Mr Milei to second place in the first round on 22 October. However, because he fell short of the 45% threshold required to win outright, Mr Massa will face Mr Milei again in the decisive run-off.
Conservative Patricia Bullrich, who finished third on October 22, has thrown her support behind Mr Milei, and polls show that the majority of her voters will support the self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist. While polls show Mr Milei with a slight lead over his opponent, Sunday’s run-off looks set to be a nail-biting end to an bitter election campaign.
Source: BBC
Javier Milei, 53, is an economist whose anti-establishment rhetoric has won him a devoted following, particularly among young voters who are disillusioned with traditional politics. His Libertarian party, which he founded in 2018, is seen by voters as untainted by past mistakes, and much of his appeal stems from voters’ willingness to give his radical proposals a chance after decades of economic upheaval.
Mr Milei has promised to replace the peso with the US dollar and has threatened to “blow up” Argentina’s central bank. He also enjoys stirring up controversy on social issues, claiming that he will abolish sex education in schools, relax gun laws, and allow the sale and purchase of human organs.
He is prone to outbursts and swearing and has even accused Pope Francis of being a communist. The flamboyant economist, who likes to show up at events wearing a leather jacket and wielding a chainsaw, has a swarm of adoring fans who follow him everywhere he goes.
Source: BBC
Sergio Massa, 51, an experienced politician who led the Chamber of Deputies before he had taken the position of Economy Minister in the Peronist government in 2022, has been attempting to persuade voters that he has the experience to guide the country out of its economic slump. He claims to be the man who will ensure that Argentina’s poor will continue to receive welfare payments and public transport subsidies.
On social issues, he is liberal, supporting Argentina’s recent abortion legislation. In contrast to Mr Milei, who is a climate-change skeptic, he has also warned of the dangers of climate change. And, while Mr Massa has been attempting to persuade undecided voters to vote against Mr Milei, whom he portrays as a liability, he is unlikely to be able to persuade a sizable proportion of Argentines who have told pollsters from the company CB Consultoras that they are so fed up with his Peronist party that they “would never vote” for him.
However, Argentina’s runoff election is a simple popular vote in which only ballots cast for either Massa or Milei are counted, with no blank or null votes counted. Despite the fact that voting is mandatory, participation is expected to be low this year due to citizens’ disillusionment with both candidates.
