Pro-Gun Libertarian Advances In Argentina's Presidential Race

On Sunday, Argentines went to the polls on and gave anti-establishment libertarian Javier Milei the top spot among 22 other potential presidential candidates in the country’s unique primary system. Milei, a 52 year old  economist and rock musician, garnered  about 30 percent of the votes cast.

Milei of  the libertarian Freedom Moves Forward party thus advances as  the top candidate in Argentina’s ballotage system. Only those candidates  receiving at 1.5 percent of the votes case in the primary appear on the ballot in October’s presidential election. Milei’s main opponents will be: Patricia Bullrich of the Republican Proposal party who once served as security minister, and Sergio Massa of the Peronist Renewal Front, who is currently serving as the country’s finance minister.

Peronist incumbent President Alberto Fernández and Vice President Cristina Kirchner are both unpopular and not running for reelection. Poverty is soaring, the value of the Argentine peso has plummeted, and inflation is running at 115 percent year-on-year. In addition, Fernández’s administration has implemented strict currency controls while addressing falling foreign reserves and slapping business with higher import taxes. Many Argentines are disillusioned with the Peronist coalition’s handling of the economy.

Milei, while not a practicing Christian, is opposed to abortion. “I’m against abortion because I believe in the life project of others,” he has said. Additionally, libertarian Milei said, “A woman can make choices about her body, but what she has inside her belly is not her body; it is another individual.” He would admit no exception in cases of rape.

While he has voiced no opposition to same-sex marriage, which Argentina affirmed in 2010, Milei’s position on abortion set him at odds with center-left Peronist coalition of parties. It was during Fernández term that protections for unborn human life were minimized by law, despite large-scale popular opposition and denunciations by Catholic bishops and other Christian leaders.

Following the results on Sunday, Milei proclaimed, “We are the true opposition,” and added,  “A different Argentina is impossible with the same old things that have always failed.” At a Sunday evening victory rally, Milei said: “We have managed to build this competitive alternative that will put an end to the parasitic, thieving, useless political caste."

Milei has shown support for allowing citizens to bear arms and to use drugs, even though he advises against drug use. He would also abolish the country’s central bank. Additionally, he vows to dollarize the economy, bucking a trend shown by neighboring Bolivia to use the Chinese yuan for trade settlement.

Most adults are required to vote. Milei’s success on Sunday is seen as an indication of who the favorite will be in October. The economy is a leading issue and a new administration will have to negotiate the country’s $44 billion+ debt with the International Monetary Fund, while also developing policy to address Argentina’s world-class agricultural sector. Argentina has had decades of economic and political turmoil, including currency devaluation and stratospheric inflation.

Former President Mauricio Macri expressed surprise at Milei’s success, saying that it attests the public’s anger over the economy. A November runoff election is likely.

Milei’s campaign offered raucous rock-style rallies and outperformed pundits’ predictions. Pre-ballot polling set him at a little less of one-fifth of the likely vote. Turnout was less than  70 percent of the approximately 35 million eligible voters.

Milei, Bullrich, and Massa will face each other on October 22, in a first round, which will probably result in a November 19 run-off.