President Javier Milei’s radical libertarian party swept to power, ending the center-right’s eighteen-year hold on Buenos Aires. Just months before Argentina pivotal midterm elections, this local election result represents a significant change. The center-right party led by former President Mauricio Macri lost badly, while Milei’s La Libertad Avanza (LLA) party doubled its vote share from the previous year.
As a result, Milei is becoming a formidable rival to the established parties, and Argentina’s political landscape is changing quickly.
Milei’s Party Sweeps Buenos Aires Elections
Manuel Adorni, Milei’s spokesperson and front-runner, received more than 30% of the vote in Buenos Aires. He stunned the center-right by soundly defeating Macri’s PRO party in its own stronghold. Milei hailed the victory as a “pivotal day for the ideas of freedom.” The divided right-wing vote, on the other hand, helped the left-leaning Peronist party, which finished second with slightly more than 27%.
However, Silvia Lospennato, a PRO candidate, finished third with a meager 15.9%, acknowledging that her party now faces significant obstacles.
Political Power Struggle Intensifies
An intense struggle for supremacy within Argentina’s center-right was made abundantly evident by this election. Milei’s victory, according to analysts, marks the triumph of the far-right libertarian faction over Macri’s traditional conservatives. Half of the city’s 60 legislative seats were up for grabs, so even though voter turnout was only about 53%, the message was clearly heard.
The Peronist movement, which has controlled Argentina for the majority of the last 20 years under Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, is currently primarily opposed by Milei’s party.
Milei’s Rise Threatens Traditional Politics
Just four years ago, Milei founded LLA, using his anti-establishment rhetoric to mobilize political outsiders. Together with Macri, he pushed for austerity reforms in Congress despite having a small minority.
But when Milei tried to appoint a contentious judge who was accused of corruption without going through Congress, tensions increased. Macri, meanwhile, publicly denounced Milei’s combative style, emphasizing the necessity of reestablishing institutional predictability and respect.
Deepfake Scandal Adds Tension
When Macri’s party accused Milei’s supporters of disseminating a deepfake video on election day, the rivalry took a dramatic turn. The fake video purportedly showed Macri supporting Milei’s candidate. The Buenos Aires Electoral Tribunal blamed Milei’s camp for breaking election laws and ordered Elon Musk’s social media platform X to take down the video. Consequently, this incident heightened a political conflict that was already intense.
Milei’s major win solidifies his standing before the midterm elections in October. He wants to finish his institutional and economic reforms and increase the number of members of his party in Congress. Argentina is currently facing a significant political realignment as new forces emerge to challenge the status quo, following the fall of the center-right’s long-standing stronghold.
