Populist outsider Javier Milei finished in second place behind left-wing establishment candidate Sergio Massa in the Argentinian general elections on Sunday afternoon, with the country now set for a run-off vote to determine the presidency in November.
Milei – a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” and admirer of former President Donald Trump – was the favorite going into the elections and was leading the polls for the past several months at around 35 percent compared to Massa’s sub-30 numbers. The elections themselves appeared to reverse the polling predictions, however, with Massa receiving 36.6 percent support and Milei receiving 29.9 percent.
Despite receiving less support than anticipated, Milei told voters to celebrate the vote, explaining, “Today is a historic day because two-thirds of Argentinians voted for change.”
Milei, who unexpectedly triumphed in the national primaries in August this year, is running a strongly anti-establishment campaign in which he promises “an end to the parasitic, corrupt, and useless political caste that exists in [Argentina].” His libertarian, free-market economics proved especially popular with young voters amid Argentina’s ongoing economic crisis, with annual inflation soaring to 140 percent and the current poverty rate above 40 percent.
The second vote is expected to be held on November 19. The winner will take office on December 10.
