Argentina’s right-wing populist presidential candidate Javier Milei will head to a run-off after failing to win the first round of the presidential election on Sunday.
Milei and former security minister Sergio Massa will face off again in November in a runoff vote, according to the New York Times. The election has become a high point of contention as Milei has said he seeks to rid the country of leftist policies while his opponent, Massa, hopes to keep the left-wing administration that has held power since 2019, according to The Associated Press.
Milei gathered 30% of the vote on Sunday compared to Massa’s 36% of the vote, according to NYT. In order to win, the candidates needed to secure 45% of the vote, or at least 40% plus a 10-point lead over the second-place contender.
Milei has largely dominated polls in the months leading up to the election.
“Never embrace the ideas of socialism,” Milei said during an interview with Tucker Carlson on Sept. 14. “Never allow yourselves to be seduced by the siren song of social justice. Don’t get caught up in that terrible concept that where there is a need, there is a right. But that can’t happen on its own.”
“We have to be prepared for this, and wage a cultural war every single day and we have to be careful because they have no problem with getting inside the State and employing Gramsci’s techniques: seducing the artists, seducing the culture, seducing the media or meddling in educational content,” Milei said.
The runoff vote between Milei and Massa will take place on Nov. 19.
Jake Smith on October 23, 2023
