Argentines have voted to elect Javier Milei, economist and former TV pundit, as their next president.
Gustavo Flores-Macías is a professor of government at Cornell University and an expert in Latin American politics. He says that though Milei will see little support among governors and Congress, his popular platform is likely to bring significant change.
Flores-Macías says: “The election of Javier Milei as Argentina’s next president interrupts a series of defeats for the Latin America right (following recent setbacks in Brazil, Chile and Colombia) and has the potential to bring major transformations to the country – including adopting the U.S. dollar as legal tender, restricting access to abortion and expanding gun ownership.
“Given Argentina’s decades-long dire economic problems, what is surprising is not that Milei would win the election but rather that it took this long for an iconoclast candidate like Milei to do so.
“With an inflation rate surpassing 140% and about 40% of the population under poverty, Sunday’s vote shows that a majority of Argentines were so fed up with poor economic management that they preferred an inexperienced political outsider proposing extreme changes than voting for candidates representing more of the same. Although Milei will enjoy little support in Congress and among provincial governors, the popular appeal of his platform should not be underestimated as an important driver of significant change.”
For interviews contact Abby Shroba Kozlowski: cell, 607-229-2681, ars454@cornell.edu.
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