Argentine voters went to the polls Sunday for the second round of the presidential election to decide whether there will be a swing to a rightward shift – Associated Press reports.
The focus is on Javier Milei, a candidate who began his career as a TV presenter and is often compared to former US President Donald Trump. The other candidate is Sergio Massa of the Peronist party, a leading force in Argentine politics for decades.
Milei proposes to reduce the size of the state and curb inflation, while Massa warns the population of the negative consequences of such policies, but it must be kept in mind that under Massa, inflation exceeded 140% and poverty increased.
This strong polarisation of the election forces many to decide which of the two options they consider to be the least bad.
“Whatever happens in this election will be incredible,” said Lucas Romero, director of local political consultancy Synopsis. “It would be incredible for Massa to win in this economic context or for Milei to win facing a candidate as professional as Massa.”
Milei went from making a television appearance criticising the country’s “political caste” to winning a seat in the legislature two years ago, much to the delight of the people. The economist’s remarks resonated widely with Argentines angered at having to make ends meet, especially young men.
Especially important is the opinion of ordinary people who work hard but receive little means of subsistence:
Money covers less and less each day. I’m a qualified individual, and my salary isn’t enough for anything, Esteban Medina, a 26-year-old physical therapist from Ezeiza, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, told The Associated Press earlier this week.
At the same time, Massa’s campaign is agitating for instability in the state and warning Argentines that his opponent’s plan would lead to the elimination of key ministries and other drastic cuts to the state, threatening public services including health and education, as well as social welfare programmes that many rely on.
Despite being greeted with both shouts and cheers at Buenos Aires’ legendary Colón Theater on Friday night, Milei claims possible electoral fraud reminiscent of claims made by Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Without citing evidence, Milei claims that there were irregularities in the first round of the presidential election that affected the result.
Such claims have been widely circulated on social media, and at Milei’s rally in Ezeiza earlier this week, all those interviewed told AP they were concerned about the integrity of the vote.
“If you draw enough attention to one problem in one polling station which likely doesn’t affect the results in any meaningful way, people are likely to overestimate the frequency and impact of that and other problems in the elections more generally,” Fernanda Buril in an e-mail.
