On the one hand, the scenario that many experts predicted for the primary elections in Argentina on Sunday was fulfilled, a scenario in which the citizens' votes were divided into three thirds. However, the big surprise came when checking who got the highest number of votes: the far-right Javier Milei.
With almost 7 million votes, the libertarian economist, leader of the La Libertad Avanza formation, not only capitalized on the discontent vote of Argentine society, but also became the politician with the most votes among the candidates for the Presidency for 22 October, although he had a 20% vote intention. He won with 30.7%. Milei, an economist who analysts place on the extreme right, although he denies it, is the most controversial candidate (against abortion and in favor of the dollarization of the economy). He comes from television and stands out for his foul language: "We can beat the stupid and useless caste in the first round," the candidate who won 16 provinces said euphorically last night.
However, as the scrutiny progressed (95%), the advantages between their formation and the other two most voted for were shortened: the main opposition coalition, Together for Change (center-right), with 28.25% , and the official Unión por la Patria (centre-left), with 27.15%, which represents a historic fall of Peronism since 1983. The two largest coalitions were the big losers.
The PASO elections (primary, open, simultaneous and mandatory) held this Sunday in Argentina left the former Minister of Security in the Government of Mauricio Macri (2015-2019) Patricia Bullrich on the launching pad to try to become the third president of the country, after María Estela Martínez de Perón (1974-1976) and Cristina Fernández (2007-2015).
The "if it's not everything, it's nothing" candidate prevailed in the internal opposition to the mayor of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, whom he surpassed in more than 1.4 million votes.
Although the third force with the most votes was Unión por la Patria, the candidate who embodies the ruling party, the current Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, was behind Milei on the list of candidates, with almost 5 million votes, one million more that Bullrich.
Although he competed internally with the social leader Juan Grabois -who obtained 1.3 million votes-, Massa was a "consensus" candidate among the different families of Peronism: the sector aligned with the Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, the wing that answers to the vice president of the country, Cristina Fernández, and the Renewal Front itself led by Massa.
And, despite the socioeconomic circumstances that Argentina is going through, with almost 116% year-on-year inflation, close to half of the population living in poverty and an exchange rate gap close to 110%, Peronism obtained greater support than expected, while that Together for Change fell well below the 35% that many ventured.
In addition to Milei, Bullrich and Massa, the non-Kirchnerist Peronist Juan Schiaretti -with whom Rodríguez Larreta tried to form an alliance to integrate his candidacy, which cost him much internal criticism- and the candidate of the Left Front and Workers Myriam Bregman.
Participation in these primary elections was 69.62%, almost seven percentage points less than in 2019, when 76.4% of the electoral roll was reached.
Some 35.4 million Argentines were summoned to define with their vote the lists of candidates that would be enabled to compete in the general elections, in which the president and vice president will be elected, 130 of the 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies will be renewed, and 24 of the 72 seats in the Senate, and 43 Argentine representatives will be elected to the Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur, the legislative body of the bloc made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay).
Within this framework, Peronism retained its great electoral stronghold, the province of Buenos Aires, the most populous district on the register, where it obtained 36.37% of the votes for the current governor, Axel Kicillof, the only candidate for the ruling party.
As for the city of Buenos Aires, the Pro's candidate, Jorge Macri, cousin of former president Mauricio Macri, won the Juntos por el Cambio internship against the radical Martín Lousteau, who had the support of Rodríguez Larreta.
From this Monday, Argentina begins the presidential race that will culminate on October 22. If none of the candidates achieves an absolute majority in that first round, the two most voted for will compete on November 19 for the term that will start on December 10 and end in 2027.
