Sergio Massa, Argentina’s economy minister, surprised many by getting over 36% of the votes in the Sunday presidential election. This means he will face off against far-right candidate Javier Milei in a second round of voting.
No candidate got more than 45% of the votes, which they needed to win outright. People thought they might be upset with Mr. Massa because of the money troubles. Argentina’s prices are going up a lot, almost 140%.
Mr. Milei was expected to do well before the vote. He got 30% of the votes, but his left-wing opponent got more.
Now, on November 19th, Argentines will pick between the two in another vote.
- Chainsaw-wielding TikTok star leads polls in Argentina
- Argentina votes in poll rocked by radical candidate
- Record inflation: Five ways Argentines try to cope
In the recent election, about 74% of eligible voters cast their votes, as reported by local media.
Predicting election results in Argentina is tricky, as past polls didn’t anticipate Mr. Milei’s surge in August’s preliminary elections.
More and more people in Argentina are supporting the far-right politician. He promises to get rid of the main bank and switch from the Argentine peso to the US dollar.
Mr. Milei is also promising changes in how the government deals with money. He wants to cut down on government departments, saying it will make things less complicated.
After losing, Ms. Bullrich criticized the previous government, saying populism had made the country poorer.
The results were surprising, with Mr. Massa in the lead, contrary to expectations that Mr. Milei would be the standout candidate.
The outcome adds more uncertainty for the next four weeks until the run-off on November 19, a challenging time for the economy.
One thing is clear, though. The winner of the presidential election will have a tough job ahead, as many in the country are disillusioned with politics and eager for their lives to improve.
Mr. Milei told his supporters that this was the most significant election in the last century, and that it was historic because Argentines voted for change.
Benjamin Gedan, from the Wilson Center, a think tank in Washington DC, said, “The current situation is very bad, but many Argentines think the cost of making economic changes is too much.”
Gedan, reacting to the election, told the BBC that Argentines have faced a lot of difficulties in recent years. He explained that the expenses related to important things like buses and natural gas were not attractive to many voters.
Before the Sunday vote, polls had suggested that there might be a second round of voting for the president.
To win outright in the first round, a candidate would have needed more than 45% of votes, or at least 40% with a lead of 10 percentage points over the nearest opponent.
In addition to choosing a new president and vice-president, Argentinians also voted for 130 new members of the lower house of Congress, which has 257 members, and 24 new senators for the 72-member upper house.
SOURCE: BBC