Far-right Argentinian presidential candidate Javier Milei has won the country's elections after center-left finance minister Sergio Massa conceded defeat.
The development comes with nearly 90% of the votes counted and Milei was found to have secured roughly 56% of the total vote compared to Massa's 44%. In a statement, the latter said that the people of Argentina have once again chosen another path moving forward.
Javier Milei Wins Argentina's Presidential Election
Massa added that he had already called Milei to congratulate him on his victory, adding that the results were not what he had hoped for. However, he noted that he made the call because the far-right libertarian is the president that most Argentines have chosen for the next four years.
Activists who supported Milei rejoiced at their candidate's victory. They described him as an economic visionary poised to lead the nation out of one of its worst economic crises in decades. A 30-year-old delivery driver, Francisco Jimenez is a Milei activist from Villa Soldati, a working-class area outside Buenos Aires. He said that he is "happy, happy, "happy," as per The Guardian.
Jimenez noted that he knew that the election result was more likely to send Argentina's peso tumbling against the dollar and cause more economic pain. However, he believes there is no option other than to trust the far-right candidate because the situation has become so dire.
During Milei's campaign, the libertarian pledged to abolish the central bank and dollarize the economy to overcome a financial calamity. The situation has left roughly 40% of the nation's 45 million citizens in poverty and pushed its inflation to more than 140%.
In a statement, the president-elect said that he knows how to exterminate the cancer of inflation plaguing the country. But left-wing opponents reacted with surprise and sadness to Milei's election, who is seen as an erratic figure whose radical ideas include:
- Legalizing the sale of organs.
- Cutting ties with Argentina's two biggest trade partners.
- Brazil and China.
- Closing more than a dozen ministries.
Following the Far-Right
Massa was considered the complete opposite of Milei as he was considered the "king of the caste." He has tried to distance himself from the leftist government of Alberto Fernandez and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. The two are the heirs to the populist dynasty that was first launched by Juan and Eva "Evita" Peron in the 1940s, according to the Washington Post.
A 36-year-old business owner, Tomas Limodio, voted for Milei in Buenos Aires on Sunday. He said they do not have anything to lose in allowing the far-right candidate to win, saying that the country has had the same type of government for so many years, and added that things were only worsening.
Milei's victory is considered a victory for the global far-right movement that has gained traction with the election of Trump and similar politicians. However, the movement has faltered in recent years with the right-wing politicians' electoral losses, according to the New York Times.
