Javier Milei hails tipping point' as his far-right party wins Argentina's midterm elections

"The party of Argentina's far-right president, Javier Milei, has won Sunday's midterm elections after a campaign in which Donald Trump announced a $40bn bailout for the country and made continued aid conditional on the victory of his Argentinian counterpart. Do populists always crash the economy? With more than 99% of ballots counted, La Libertad Avanza secured 40.8% of the nationwide vote, in an election widely seen as a de facto referendum on the self-styled anarcho-capitalist's nearly two years in power."

"The Peronist opposition, Fuerza Patria, secured 31.7%. The Peronists remain the largest bloc by three seats. But when Milei's party is combined with the centre-right PRO party of the former president Mauricio Macri which has voted with the government over the past two years the president now has a larger bloc than the opposition to push through his libertarian policies."

"Milei's victory has surprised Argentine analysts and many say that even the government itself did not expect such an overwhelming result, given the recent blows to the libertarian's popularity from corruption allegations involving his sister and the current economic crisis. The government had played down expectations, considering anything between 30% and 35% a satisfactory outcome, especially after Milei's heavy defeat in the provincial elections in Buenos Aires in September, when he lost to the Peronists by 14 percentage points."

Javier Milei's La Libertad Avanza won Argentina's midterm elections with 40.8% of the nationwide vote. Fuerza Patria, the Peronist opposition, secured 31.7% and remains the largest single bloc by three seats. Combined with Mauricio Macri's centre-right PRO, the governing coalition now outnumbers the opposition, enabling the president to push libertarian policies. Donald Trump announced a $40bn bailout for Argentina and tied continued aid to Milei's victory. Milei's margin surprised analysts and the government despite corruption allegations involving his sister and an ongoing economic crisis. Milei won Argentina's largest electoral district and celebrated a perceived political tipping point.

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