Victory of a 'right winger' Javier Milei as new Prez of Argentina

"When Argentine libertarian Javier Milei announced his entry into politics in 2020 in a bid to "blow up" the system, few predicted that three years later the wild-haired economist and former TV pundit could reach the presidency. Now he's pulled it off," -- Reuters

Javier Milei celebrates his election victory with his girlfriend Fatima Florez

In the words of outgoing president Bolsonaro, the new President will "have a big job ahead of you … and it’s a job that goes beyond Argentina".

“Gracias!” Milei has replied too. 

Milei is seen as a unique product of Argentina, where an entire generation has grown up under an economy in a semi-permanent state of crisis. That has sharpened this year, with inflation heading towards 150%, a sliding currency and rising poverty.

Against that backdrop, Milei and his Liberty Advances coalition have seen a dramatic rise in support, especially among the young. His campaign on social media has been helped by his colorful antics and quotes.

Unlike Bolsonaro, a professional politician who posed as an anti-establishment outsider to win power in 2018, Milei is a genuine newcomer to the world of politics.

Born in Buenos Aires in 1970, he played in a Rolling Stones cover band and found fame as a foul-mouthed economic pundit on Argentinian television before being elected to congress in 2021 for his libertarian party Libertad Avanza (Freedom Advances). 

"Milei’s mercurial personality, expletive-ridden onscreen outbursts and Britpop-style hairdo have cemented his reputation as ‘El Loco’ (The Madman)," says 'The Guardian'. 

As rightwing tributes poured in, the scale of Milei’s victory became clear. The television celebrity turned political sensation beat his Peronist rival in 21 of Argentina’s 23 provinces and came within a whisker of winning in Buenos Aires, a Peronist stronghold, where Massa took 50.89% of votes to Milei’s 49.1%.

In Córdoba, where Milei held his final campaign rally, the wild-haired libertarian trashed his rival by 74.28% to 25.71%. In Mendoza, the result was 71.42% to 28.57%.

Yet for all the rightwing euphoria, experts cautioned against viewing Milei’s election as a sign of a major conservative shift in Argentinian politics.

Yanina Welp, an Argentinian political scientist from the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, said culture-war issues and identity politics might have influenced some citizens, but voters mostly wanted to punish the Peronists for leading Argentina into one of its worst economic crises in decades.

“Massa is the minister of economy, and the country has [nearly] 150% inflation and almost half of the country is living in poverty. So it’s quite easy to understand the rejection of the status quo,” Welp said. “More than being in favour or Milei or Milei’s program, this is [a vote] against the Peronists and the current government", reports 'The Guardian'.