Argentina’s President Javier Milei won a decisive victory in the midterm elections.
When Argentinians took to the polls on Sunday, Milei’s upstart La Libertad Avanza party scored 40% of the vote, compared with 31% for the left-leaning populist opposition movement known as Peronism.
It is thought that Milei’s allyship with U.S. President Donald Trump helped him win the election, as before the vote, Trump declared that if the current President didn’t win, he would pull support.
Previously, Trump had bailed Melei out with US$40 million, including a $20 billion currency swap deal and a further $20 billion in support for an economy he claimed was “dying”.
Clinching the crucial confidence will strengthen Milei’s ability to carry out his radical free-market experiment with billions of dollars in backing from the U.S.
These results will also position Melei as a candidate for re-election in 2027.
"The Argentine people have decided to leave behind 100 years of decadence," Milei said as his supporters cheered, referring to a succession of Peronist governments that brought Argentina infamy for its inflationary spirals.
"Today, we have passed the turning point. Today, we begin the construction of a great Argentina."
Melei also said that his party has tripled its seat count, winning 101 in the lower house, up from 37 and 20 seats in the senate, up from six.
In the election, 127 of the seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies and 24 seats in the Senate were up for grabs.
