Populist Libertarian Wins Presidency Of Argentina In Landslide
Libertarian economist Javier Milei won Argentina’s presidential election in a landslide on Sunday, ousting the nation’s long-standing socialist government.
Milei, a cable news fixture who was elected to Argentina’s Congress in 2021 amid a rise in anti-socialist sentiment, campaigned as a libertarian, capitalist anti-socialist. He was also the leader of a new political movement in the country, Liberty Advances, which fought back against Argentina’s long-standing Peronist socialist establishment.
His positions as a Latin American libertarian are slightly different than mainstream libertarianism in the United States, as he opposes the legalization of abortion, declaring it to be “murder.” He also discourages business deals with communist nations — noting that he would even limit ties to China, which is one of Argentina’s top trade partners.
Even before the official election results were published, Milei’s opponent — Minister of Economics Sergio Massa, the candidate representing the socialists — announced that he had already called Milei to concede.
According to Argentina’s election authorities, with 86.59% of the vote tallied, Milei received 55.95% of the vote compared to Massa’s 44.04%. The double-digit lead was especially surprising considering the fact that Massa had initially beat Milei in the first round of voting on October 22.
Milei will take the reins from current socialist President Alberto Fernández. According to Breitbart News, under Fernández’s leadership, Argentina has “experienced an unprecedented economic crisis, fueling skyrocketing inflation, joblessness, and social anxiety.”
Amid these crises, Fernández decided not to run for re-election. Current Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was expected to replace him, but she ultimately chose not to run after she was convicted of corruption-related crimes in late 2022. While she was sentenced to six years in prison for her crimes, the vice president was covered by prosecutorial immunity laws and will not serve any time.
Milei has been referred to as “the Donald Trump of Argentina,” and recently gave an interview to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
He reportedly plans to eliminate several agencies created by the socialist government upon taking office — including the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Women, Genders and Diversity.
Milei’s supporters have reportedly flooded the streets of Argentina to celebrate his victory.
“The streets of Argentina are FILLED with celebrations as Javier Milei is elected the next president of Argentina—like an occupied people cheering the arrival of a liberating army,” Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, sharing a video of the celebration.
