Result falls short of giving Milei a congressional majority but surprises many analysts after series of scandals
The party of Argentina’s far-right president, Javier Milei, has won Sunday’s midterm elections after a campaign in which Donald Trump announced a $40bn bailout for the country and made continued aid conditional on the victory of his Argentinian counterpart.
With more than 95% of ballots counted, La Libertad Avanza secured 40.84% of the nationwide vote, in an election widely seen as a de facto referendum on the self-styled anarcho-capitalist’s nearly two years in power. The Peronist opposition, Fuerza Patria, secured 31.67%.
While the result falls short of giving Milei a congressional majority – which remains with the Peronists – it has surprised Argentinian analysts, given the recent blows to the libertarian’s popularity from corruption allegations involving his sister to the current economic crisis.
No it is not. At least not in Argentina. Here the people I know who are aligned with the actual far right only voted for milei because they didn’t want to vote for the left. But they voted him kicking and screaming.
Most libertarians won’t identity as such. Because of how completely and utterly it’s been taken by the far right. The fact that your far right could stomach voting for him, a different sect of far right. As opposed to someone on the left. Your own words betray your knowledge.
That is a very linear way to view things. Past elections were not a single line. They were more like a triangle a highly skewed to the right triangle, but a triangle non the less. The actual far right was heavily siding with dictators.
He identifies himself as liberal/libertarian
Who is Milieu serving? Who is he dealing austerity to? Who has your economy, like ours served. Why should it be saved? The enemy of your enemy isn’t automatically your friend.
After all, your friend is a fairly buddy buddy with those who would have been dictators. And our own fascist populist for that matter. Sending 40 billion taxpayer dollars your way to prop him up. 40 billion, which even a small segment could help a lot of our own people. 40 billion that your people will likely see less than a fraction of a percent of in the long run. As the usual suspects soak up all the resources as they always have.
Both our countries need basic living affordability. Something austerity and cutting services will never accomplish. It’s all just theater for the wealthy. Even if inflation outright stopped this instant for either of our countries. It would help neither of us. What would help us both? Housing security. Red Vienna style public housing would be a great start. Follow that up with basic food security. Both our countries could do it. But neither will. Because we’re not who they serve.
But yes, if you evaluate everything on a single axis of politics, such as right and left. Things are going to be at best linear. It’s not a useful measurement, really. Just because someone appears slightly less authoritarian doesn’t make them any more right or left.