Argentina’s election result is the worst of all possible outcomes
Sergio Massa, the economy minister, will now go head-to-head with Javier Milei
On October 22nd, two days after Argentina’s brave rugby team was thrashed in the semi-finals of the World Cup, any hope of a prudent course for the country’s politics was similarly eliminated. Sergio Massa, the economy minister, won almost 37% of votes in the first round of the presidential election, ahead of expectations. Javier Milei, a libertarian “anarcho-capitalist” who had been leading the polls, got 30%. Patricia Bullrich, the sensible centre-right option, got just 24% of votes and is now out of the race. Mr Massa and Mr Milei will head to a run-off next month. Even by the standards of Argentina’s telenovela-like politics, the next four weeks are likely to be dramatic.
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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The worst of all possible outcomes”
From the October 28th 2023 edition
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