Javier Millais (53), leader of the Liberty Forward Party, a far-right economist who calls himself ‘Argentina’s Trump’, was elected after defeating the ruling leftist candidate in the Argentine presidential runoff on the 19th (local time). The people, who have suffered from extreme economic hardships such as high inflation rates in the 140% range and poverty rates in the 40% range, have entrusted power to an eccentric politician who appeared like a comet under the slogan of ‘minimum government’.
President-elect Millais, who will begin his four-year term on the 10th of next month, won 55.7% of the votes (based on 99.3% of the votes counted), defeating the current Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, the ‘United for the Fatherland’ candidate (44.3%). The dominant analysis is that they have ignored the ruling left, which has consistently pursued populist policies such as distributing cash.
View largerBuenos Aires = AP/NewsisIn his election speech, Millais said, “Argentina’s reconstruction has begun. “Now there will only be radical changes,” he emphasized. During his presidential campaign, he made extreme liberal promises, including abolishing the central bank and the peso, introducing the U.S. dollar, reducing government departments, and allowing organ sales.
This result puts a brake on the revival of the ‘Pink Tide’ (a wave of moderate leftists taking power), which refers to the emergence of leftist leaders one after another in major Latin American countries such as Brazil and Colombia last year, and could have a significant impact on the results of the US presidential election in November next year. Observations emerge. Former US President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform ‘TruthSocial’, “You (President-elect Millais) will make Argentina great again!” He borrowed his slogan for office, ‘Make America Great Again,’ and expressed his intention to win the presidential election next year.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.