In Argentina, incumbent President Javier Milei’s Far Right Party has won a crucial midterm election seen as a measure of support for his reforms, The Guardian reports.
The midterm elections saw 127 seats up for grabs and 24 senators. Milei’s party won 40.84% of the vote, winning Buenos Aires, as well as the provinces of Cordoba and Santa Fe.
The biggest surprise was the victory of Freedom Comes in the province of Buenos Aires, the country’s main electoral district, which has traditionally supported the opposition coalition “Strength of the Fatherland”. It includes former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and the current governor of the province, Axel Kislyof. In this region, the Millea party won 41.5% of the vote, while “Strength of the Fatherland” won 40.8%.
The second place in the election was taken by “Strength of the Fatherland” with a result of 31.62%, the third – the alliance “United Provinces” (7.13%), which includes six governors, and the “Left Front” (7.13%) received about 4%.
The National Electoral Chamber reported voter turnout of about 68%, the lowest in a national election in Argentina since 1983, despite voting being mandatory.
“Today was a historic day. The Argentine people have left behind decline and chosen the path of progress. Today we have passed a turning point. Today begins the construction of a great Argentina,” – Javier Milley said in a speech after the first results were released.
US President Donald Trump congratulated Milley on his “convincing victory”:
“Congratulations to President Javier Milley on his convincing victory in Argentina. He is doing a great job! Our faith in him has been justified by the Argentine people”.
Javier Milley took office nearly two years ago, promising to save the economy, fight inflation, implement deep reforms and challenge the political elites. Initially, his tough economic measures paid off: triple-digit inflation began to decline, drawing praise from international economists and politicians, including US President Donald Trump.
However, in recent weeks, Milley’s so-called revolution has run into difficulties. Growing doubts about his political prospects have spooked financial markets, causing the Argentine peso to plummet. This has forced the government to use up some of its limited international reserves to stem the outflow of currency.
