Argentina: Argentina has elected libertarian outsider Mr. Javier Milei as its next President, amid its worst economic crisis in two decades.
Mr. Milei won 55.8 percent of the vote, against 44.2 percent for Economy Minister, Mr. Sergio Massa of the centre-left government, with over 99 percent of votes counted.
Mr. Milei stated that, “Today begins the end of Argentina’s decline. Today ends the impoverishing model of the omnipresent state, which only benefits some while the majority suffers.”
In the capital Buenos Aires, hundreds of Mr. Milei’s supporters honked horns, set off fireworks, and chanted his popular refrain against the political elite.
Mr. Massa remarked that, “Obviously the results are not what we had hoped for, and I have spoken to Mr. Javier Milei to congratulate him and wish him well because he is the president that the majority of Argentines have elected for the next four years.”
Mr. Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist,” has promised a number of drastic changes, such as slashing public spending by 15 percent, abolishing the central bank, and switching the Argentinian peso to the United States dollar.
The 53-year-old political outsider, whose abrasive manner has drawn comparisons with former US President, Mr. Donald Trump, has also staked out conservative positions on social issues, opposing sex education and abortion while vehemently criticizing political correctness.
In addition, the libertarian outsider has questioned the death toll under Argentina’s dictatorship, attacked Pope Francis, and denied that humans are responsible for climate change. Mr. Milei added that his victory marked the beginning of the “reconstruction of Argentina.”
TRENDING | Russia launches drone attack on Ukraine’s Kyiv
