In opposition, The favored candidate in Argentina’s presidential election, Javier Milei, is in second place with 90 percent of the votes.
Javier Milei, who failed to secure victory in the first round of the Argentine presidential election, will now face Economy Minister Sergio Massa in a run-off vote on November 19
With over 90% of the vote counted, Bloomberg reported on October 23 that Massa was in the lead with over 36%, while Milei trailed with just over 30%. The presidential candidates needed 45% of votes or 40% with a 10-point lead to win the presidency uncontested.
Milei won the most ballots in the country’s presidential primary election in August, garnering approximately 30 percent of the vote, initially making him the frontrunner for the presidency.
Milei, who identifies as an anarcho-capitalist, has called for a reduction in the size of the government and the abolition of Argentina’s central bank because it is a fraud. He also intends to abandon the Argentine peso in favor of the U.S. dollar, imitating Bitcoin-friendly El Salvador.
The coalition of Milei’s Liberty Advances (La Libertad Avanza) has been described as libertarian to far-right populist. Milei has also referred to Bitcoin as a reaction against “central bank scammers” and asserted that fiat currency permits politicians to defraud Argentinians through inflation.
Massa, on the other hand, has pledged, if elected, to introduce a central bank digital currency (CBDC) to “solve” Argentina’s protracted inflation crisis and has rejected the adoption of the dollar.
The referendum comes when 40% of Argentines live in poverty, and citizens are weary of the country’s escalating debt crisis. The annual rate of inflation is also approaching 140%.
On November 19, Argentina will again go to the elections. The candidate with the most votes will receive a four-year term as president.
