BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s economy minister and the anti-establishment upstart he faces in a presidential runoff next month began competing Monday to shore up the moderate voters they need.
Economy Minister Sergio Massa earned almost seven points more than chainsaw-wielding economist and freshman lawmaker Javier Milei in Sunday’s vote. Most polls had shown Massa slightly trailing, as voters had been expected to punish him for triple-digit inflation that has eaten away at purchasing power and boosted poverty.
On Nov. 19 voters will either choose Massa, despite the economic deterioration that took place on his watch, or place their hopes in a self-described anarcho-capitalist who promises a drastic shake-up of South America’s second-largest economy.
Milei’s fiery rhetoric and radical proposals — like slashing subsidies that benefit a large swath of the population and replacing the local currency with the dollar — galvanized die-hard supporters, but cost him support among more moderate voters.
Massa focused his messaging in the latter part of the campaign on how Milei’s budget-slashing chainsaw would negatively affect citizens already struggling to make ends meet, with a particular focus on how much public transportation prices in Buenos Aires would increase without subsidies, said Mariel Fornoni of the political consulting firm Management & Fit.
That “had a significant impact and evidently instilled more fear than anything else,” Fornoni said.
Massa once again showed his Peronist party’s power to mobilize Argentine voters. A nebulous political movement named after former President Juan Domingo Perón that has both left- and right-wing factions but broadly believes in social justice and workers’ rights, Peronism has been a dominant force and in this election cycle emerged as the only viable left-leaning option.
Right-wing votes were divided between Milei, former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich of the main opposition coalition and another candidate, Cordoba province’s Gov. Juan Schiaretti. Bullrich finished third in the field of five candidates, and the runoff will be decided by where her voters ultimately migrate.
She said in her concession speech Sunday night that she wouldn’t congratulate Massa on his victory because he was part of “Argentina’s worst government,” and that her coalition would never support “the mafias that have destroyed this country.” She stopped short of endorsing Milei, however.
During the campaign, Milei harshly criticized Bullrich as part of the entrenched elite that required purging, but he sought to appeal to her voters in a radio interview Monday, suggesting that they should focus on the bigger picture.
“Everyone who wants to change Argentina, who wants to embrace the ideas of freedom, are welcome,” Milei said. “It’s not a matter of labels; it’s a matter of who wants to be on this side.”
Asked in a news conference Monday whether he foresees challenges in siphoning support away from Bullrich, Massa responded that “leaders aren’t the owners of votes” and that several views espoused by Milei “have nothing to do with our culture and the values of the average Argentine citizen.”
Massa also said he would not want his government to be characterized as only Peronist.
“I believe it’s a mistake to suggest that the upcoming phase should be tied solely to Peronism. We are heading toward a government of national unity. I will call upon the best from various political forces, regardless of their origin,” Massa said.
Massa had already told voters that he inherited a bad economic situation exacerbated by a devastating drought that decimated exports. He reassured them that the worst was past.
