Updated 07.57 | Published 07.57
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Will one of South America’s largest economies swing to the right?
It will be decided when the ultra-liberal Javier Milei and Economy Minister Sergio Massa square off for the presidency of Argentina.
The two presidential candidates represent starkly different futures for Argentina, which is reeling under triple-digit inflation after decades of debt, economic mismanagement and currency volatility.
Sunday’s second and decisive round of the presidential election takes place in a situation described as polarized. Many are forced to vote for the one they consider to be the least bad option.
– Unfortunately, you have to choose one of the two, says the 55-year-old florist Pablo Rivera, who is leaning towards giving Milei his vote.
The even opinion polls point to the fact that it could be a close election.
Controversial candidate
The populist Javier Milei has been compared to former US President Donald Trump and has been rewritten for his controversial statements. He advocates the legal sale of human organs, wants to “blow up” the central bank and introduce the US dollar as the new currency.
But what perhaps most attracted voters is his anger at the political establishment. Milei’s success in the primary came as a shock to many. In the first round of elections in October, however, things did not go as well as the polls suggested.
In the second round of elections, Milei is pitted against the centrist candidate Sergio Massa, current economy minister who belongs to the Peronist coalition Unión por la Patria.
Massa has been praised for successfully renegotiating the repayment of a multibillion-dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund, but is also blamed for increasing poverty and failing to stem rampant inflation.
Statesmanlike?
During the election campaign, Massa has tried to portray himself as the calm, statesmanlike opposite of Milei.
The polling stations open at 8 (12, Swedish time) and close ten hours later.
Voting is done on paper, which makes the count unpredictable – but the first results are expected around three hours after the polls close.
FACT Sergio Massa
Sergio Massa is the current Minister of Economy and belongs to the Peronist coalition Unión por la Patria.
He received just under 37 percent of the votes in the first round of elections.
He has been praised for successfully renegotiating the repayment of a US$44 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. But he has also been blamed for failing to stem the rampant inflation – in September it was measured at 140 percent year-on-year.
Read moreFACTJavier Milei
The ultra-liberal Javier Milei has been rewritten worldwide for his controversial statements, such as advocating the legal sale of human organs and introducing the US dollar as the new currency in Argentina. At campaign meetings, he has often held up a chainsaw to symbolize the sharp reduction in government spending.
In the first round of elections, he came second with just under 30 percent of the vote.
Milei became nationally famous when he began appearing as an economic commentator on television, arguing with other guests about the right path for crisis-stricken Argentina. He is often compared to former US President Donald Trump.
In 2021 he was elected to the Argentine Congress with his newly formed party La libertad avanza.
Read moreFACTSArgentina
Argentina is as big as Western Europe and has about 45 million inhabitants. Just over nine out of ten Argentines live in cities and a third in and around the capital, Buenos Aires. Otherwise, the country is relatively sparsely populated.
The country has great natural resources. In addition to fertile soil, there is oil, natural gas, copper, gold and uranium as well as a number of other minerals. Agriculture and the food industry are important to the economy and account for a large part of export earnings.
Politically, Argentina has been shaped by military dictatorships as well as by the populist ideology known as Peronism after the father of the country, Juan Perón.
Source UI/Landguiden
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