Argentina's economy minister has produced a big surprise by finishing first in the opening round of the presidential election over a front-running right-wing populist who wants to drastically diminish the government.
Sergio Massa, Economy Minister and presidential candidate for the ruling party, speaks outside his campaign headquarters after general elections in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. Massa held the lead in early results and is poised to face off Javier Milei in a second round Nov. 19.
held in August. Around 78% of the electorate voted Sunday, some eight points higher than in the primaries that Milei won., built a groundswell of support while calling for elimination of the Central Bank, replacement of the local currency with the U.S. dollar, and a purge of the corrupt establishment that he called the “political caste.”
Massa’s campaign this year follows another eight years ago, when he finished a disappointing third place and was knocked out of the running. This time, he will have his shot in the runoff. That contest will determine whether Argentina will continue with a center-left administration or veer sharply to the right.
Right-wing support was split between Milei and two other candidates, whereas Massa had already consolidated nearly all support from the left, Atlas Intel’s Roman said. He also could find common interest with other longserving public servants, many of whom have bristled at Milei's candidacy and the threats it posed.
He also has cast himself as a crusader against what he calls the sinister forces of socialism at home and abroad. He opposes sex education, feminist policies and abortion, which is legal in Argentina. He rejects the notion that humans have had a role in causingThat may have turned off some voters, said Benjamin Gedan director of the Latin America Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center.