AFP
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 03:47
The first round of Argentina’s elections failed to produce a new president. The two candidates who received the most votes, Sergio Massa and Javier Milei, will compete against each other in the second, decisive voting round on November 19.
With almost ninety percent of the votes counted, the current Minister of Economic Affairs Massa is surprisingly in the lead. He received about 36% of the votes. The far-right Milei received about 30% of the votes, doing less well than expected. The third candidate, the conservative Patricia Bullrich, has 23.7% of the votes and will no longer participate in the next round.
To win the election, a candidate had to win 45 percent of the vote in the first round, or 40 percent with a large lead over the number two. So that didn’t happen.
Most important elections in years
The elections in the country are being called the most important in years. Argentina is in a deep economic crisis. The most important theme during the elections was the economy.
Sergio Massa is Minister of Economy in the left-wing government of President Alberto Fernández. Although many are disappointed in that cabinet, Massa as a person seems to still be able to count on the trust of the Argentinians. He replaced the previous Minister of Economic Affairs and he promises to invest more in employment.
The far-right political newcomer Milei is an economist and says he stands for radical freedom and change. Milei wants to get rid of the local currency, the peso, and introduce the dollar instead. He is in favor of relaxing gun laws and is against abortion. In terms of his ideas, he is often compared to former American President Trump and former President of Brazil Bolsonaro. With his rock star image and distaste for the established political order, he is very popular among young voters.
2023-10-23 01:47:29
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