Argentina Economy Minister Massa and Right-Wing Populist Milei Head to Presidential Runoff
TimeJUL 2023
Milei and Massa Head for Argentina Election Runoff
Image copyright: Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
Victory within the first round for Massa was an unexpected surprise, and almost certainly a disappointment for the radical libertarian Milei. Having hoped for a similar result to like-minded Bolsonaro in 2018, Milei's hopes for the perfect evening were ruined as a lack of consensus left Argentina in continued economic and social uncertainty. Despite the lead, a victory for Massa is by no means certain, and — despite the current state of the country — Argentina must think twice about allowing the far right to lead a change in direction.
Right narrative
This is certainly a shocking result, as Milei was expected to poll far better than the incumbent economy minister responsible for Argentina's inflation disaster and economic collapse, but the presidential race is far from being over. Now that a runoff election between Milei and Massa has been triggered, the center-right camp must overcome differences that set the tone of their campaigns to seize the opportunity to crush the Kirchnerismo criminal organization.