Various analysts highlighted the importance of the process.
HAVANA.- This Sunday they celebrated in the Republic Argentina the mid-term legislative elections, provided for by the Constitution. These elections are held after the first two years of the presidential term – in this case, that of Javier Milei – and serve to renew half of the Chamber of Deputies and a third of the federal Senate.
The electoral event was of special importance for La Libertad Avanza, the political movement led by President Milei. The party, which burst onto the national political scene practically from scratch, surprised the world with the victory of its leader in the second round of the 2023 presidential elections.
However, the support obtained then was not reflected in Congress, where its representation was minimal. During the first two years of his administration, Milei had to deal with a Legislature that, in essence, opposed him and sought to stop his economic reforms.
Despite this panorama, the government has shown progress in key areas: the elimination of the fiscal deficit, the reduction of inflation, the promotion of economic activity and the reduction of levels of poverty and misery.
In this context, the legislative elections became a kind of plebiscite on the adjustment and liberalization policies promoted by the Executive. Would Milei still have popular support or would initial support have been eroded by the costs of economic reorganization?
Various analysts highlighted the importance of the process. In PanamPost, Marcelo Duclos warned that it was “the most important midterm elections in history.” In Infobae, Lucas Goyret agreed to underline the magnitude of the political moment.
Expectations were high, especially after the defeat suffered by La Libertad Avanza in the recent elections in the province of Buenos Aires—the largest electoral district in the country, with nearly 40% of the national vote—, where the Kirchnerist forces led by Governor Axel Kicillof managed to prevail. Kicillof, by the way, is already emerging as a potential opponent of Milei in an eventual presidential re-election in 2027.
But the results of this October 26 radically changed the panorama. The first official data confirmed a resounding victory for milleism, which not only excites Argentines who support the libertarian changes, but also foreign sympathizers who support the president’s firm line against regimes such as those of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
According to the results released, La Libertad Avanza obtained 40.83% of the votes nationwide. The Kirchnerist Fuerza Patria bloc came in second place, with 31.62%, while the United Provinces coalition and the Left Front barely reached 7.09% and 3.91%, respectively.
The most significant fact was, however, the recovery in the province of Buenos Aires: Mileismo reversed a 14-point disadvantage suffered less than two months ago and defeated Fuerza Patria in its own bastion.
The newspaper La Nación illustrated the result with a map of the country dyed violet—the color of La Libertad Avanza—while only a few provinces, and those with less electoral weight, appeared in other tones. Even El País, from Madrid, although it once again described the movement as “ultra-right”, recognized the magnitude of the libertarian triumph.
After this unquestionable triumph, it is to be hoped that our Argentine brothers can move forward firmly in their efforts – of undoubted historical projection – to overcome statist policies and return to the great southern country the splendor and prosperity that characterized it decades ago.
