Right-wing populist Javier Milei will become the next president of Argentina after promising a dramatic shake-up to the state in a fiercely polarized election campaign held amid deep discontent over soaring inflation and rising poverty.
Economy Minister Sergio Massa of the Peronist party conceded defeat and congratulated Milei, who has drawn frequent comparisons to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Immediately after Massa鈥檚 concession speech, the Argentine electoral authority began releasing partial results. With 95% of votes tallied, Milei had 55.8% and Massa 44.2%. If that margin holds, it would be wider than predicted by all polls and the widest since Argentina鈥檚 return of democracy in 1983.
In the streets of Buenos Aires, drivers honked their horns and many took to the streets to celebrate in several neighborhoods. Outside Milei鈥檚 party headquarters, a hotel in downtown Buenos Aires, supporters were euphoric.
With a Milei victory, the country will swing to the right and empower a freshman lawmaker who got his start as a television talking head blasting what he called the 鈥減olitical caste.鈥�
鈥淭his is a triumph that is less due to Milei and his peculiarities and particularities and more to the demand for change,鈥� said Lucas Romero, the head of Synopsis, a local political consulting firm. 鈥淲hat is being expressed at the polls is the weariness, the fatigue, the protest vote of the majority of Argentines.鈥�
Inflation has soared above 140% and poverty has worsened while Massa has held his post. Milei has proposed to slash the size of the state and rein in inflation, while the government minister he was running against warned people about the negative impacts of such policies. The election forced many to decide which of the two they considered to be the least bad choice.
Massa鈥檚 campaign cautioned Argentines that his libertarian opponent鈥檚 plan to eliminate key ministries and otherwise sharply curtail the state would threaten public services, including health and education, and welfare programs many rely on. Massa also drew attention to his opponent鈥檚 often aggressive rhetoric and openly questioned his mental acuity; ahead of the first round, Milei sometimes carried a .
鈥淭here were lot of voters that weren鈥檛 convinced to vote Milei, who would vote no or blank. But come the day of the vote, they voted for Milei because they鈥檙e all pissed off,鈥� Andrei Roman, CEO of Brazil-based pollster Atlas Intel, said by phone. 鈥淓veryone talked about the fear of Milei winning. I think this was a fear of Massa winning and economy continuing the way it is, inflation and all that.鈥�
Milei accused Massa and his allies of running a 鈥渃ampaign of fear鈥� and he walked back some of his most controversial proposals, such as loosening gun control. In his final campaign ad, Milei looks at the camera and assures voters he has no plans to privatize education or health care.
Milei鈥檚 screeds resonated widely with Argentines angered by their struggle to make ends meet, particularly young men.
鈥淢oney covers less and less each day. I鈥檓 a qualified individual, and my salary isn鈥檛 enough for anything,鈥� Esteban Medina, a 26-year-old physical therapist from Ezeiza, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a Milei rally earlier this week.
Another of Milei鈥檚 supporters is Mar铆a Gabriela Gaviola, a 63-year-old entrepreneur doing everything she can to avoid shuttering her company, which manufactures veterinary products, amid surging prices for materials. And the government hasn鈥檛 helped, including Massa who has held his ministerial post for over a year.
鈥淭he productive sector of this country isn鈥檛 considered. How long can a country that doesn鈥檛 produce be OK?鈥� said Gaviola, who has taken on two side jobs to keep her company afloat. 鈥淭ruth is, I don鈥檛 know Milei. I鈥檝e heard him a bit. I don鈥檛 know him, but the one who I already know doesn鈥檛 help me. I prefer to try something new.鈥�
Most pre-election polls, which have been notoriously wrong at every step of this year鈥檚 campaign, showed a statistical tie between the two candidates or Milei slightly ahead.
Underscoring the bitter division this campaign has brought to the fore, Milei on Friday night at the legendary Col贸n Theater in Buenos Aires.
The acrimony was also evident Sunday when Milei鈥檚 running mate, Victoria Villaruel, went to vote and was met by protesters angry at her claims that the number of victims from Argentina鈥檚 bloody 1976-1983 military dictatorship is far , among .
鈥淲e鈥檙e starting a new chapter in Argentina,鈥� Massa told journalists Sunday after casting his ballot. 鈥淭his chapter requires not only goodwill, intelligence and capability but above all, dialogue and the necessary consensus for our homeland to traverse a much more virtuous path in the future.鈥�
