Can Milei Still Win in Argentina?
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday for a discussion with Argentine libertarian writer Marcos Falcone about Argentina's recent election results and the upcoming runoff.
Javier Milei, the firebrand libertarian candidate for Argentina's presidency, surprised the world with a first-place finish in the primaries this August. But in the presidential election this past weekend, he finished second behind Peronist candidate Sergio Massa, Argentina's current economy minister. Neither candidate passed the threshold needed to become the next president, so they will have a head-to-head rematch on November 19.
Does Milei still have a chance? Why did Argentina's markets falter after Milei came out ahead this summer? And why are Massa's allies in the government handing out money to voters?
Join Reason's Zach Weissmueller and Liz Wolfe this Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern on Reason's YouTube channel or Facebook page to discuss these questions and more with Marcos Falcone, a political scientist, project manager at Argentina's Fundación Libertad, and podcast host.
Sources referenced in this conversation:
Argentina's 2023 presidential election results
"Argentina's (Unexpected) Libertarian Moment," by Marcos Falcone
"Argentina's presidential election delivers a surprise result," The Economist
Support for Milei by party affiliation, Economist Intelligence Unit
"A man, a plan, a chainsaw," by Daniel Politi and David Biller
"Is Javier Milei's Movement in Argentina a Cult of Personality in the Name of Libertarianism?" by Antonella Marty and Jose Benegas
"What's in Javier Milei's head?" by Federico Rivas Molina
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Why did Argentina's markets falter after Milei came out ahead this summer?
I'm sure there are 1000 answers that are all over the place. My guess? Markets tend to like stability. It's possible that Milei represents too much of a wild card and thus leaves investors who are, for better or worse, invested in the current system as it is.
Argentina has been experiencing inflation in the neighborhood of 100% for many years now. I would think his call to peg their currency to the dollar would be a lot better than the current system.
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If one guy talking shit can crash your currency, then you have some serious underlying problems.
Their currency has been trashed for a while.
Yes, but per my original comment, the fear might be "it can always get worse".
Didn't Reason do some articles years ago on one of the south American countries that pegged their currency to the dollar, and everything went sideways, and Reason was suggesting that they didn't peg it right?
I'm too lazy to research it.
I know Peru did. But I thought it went OK. Or maybe they are one of the ones that just started using dollars directly.
Ecuador, not Peru.
Anyone who shows the world that a non-violent (libertarian) govt. is superior to the present coercive (authoritarian) paradigm will be REMOVED. Authoritarians have no morals, no self control, when they are threatened. They would risk species extinction to keep power. They are addicted to political power.
Depends on who counts the votes.
Depends on who does the fortifyin'.
Gary Moore played better guitar
gttyghg