Milei Wins Argentine Midterm Elections

Official portrait of Argentinian President Javier Milei (Photo: Gobierno Argentino: CC BY 4.0, Via Wikimedia Commons)

Just last week, Argentine president Javier Milei was victorious in the country’s midterm elections, winning just under 41% of the vote. Thanks to this result, his party, La Libertad Avanza, took 6 more Senate seats than before, along with an increase of 27 lower house seats. Milei’s influence has never been so powerful in Argentine parliament. This was a surprise landslide victory- recent polls had not been largely in his favour. Milei has certainly been a controversial figure in Argentina. Most notably, his policies include spending cuts on state universities , disabled people, and child healthcare in attempts to increase government money and to decrease Argentina’s inflation rate. Whilst his supporters praise him for helping Argentina’s economy, his critics cry out against accentuated social disparities. These results come shortly after President Trump announced the prospect of a mammoth $40 Billion investment into Argentina, acting as a lifeline for the country’s economy. It was also expected to promote the image of Trump and capitalist society throughout the country, and even the continent too.

However, Trump’s investment was contingent on Milei winning these midterms. As reported by the New York Times, he declared: “if he wins, we’re staying with him, and if he doesn’t win, we’re gone.” And Milei indeed won by a great margin. Trump was prompt to commend Milei’s victory on Truth Social, his social media platform, remarking “Congratulations to President Javier Milei on his Landslide Victory in Argentina. He is doing a wonderful job! Our confidence in him was justified by the People of Argentina.” Argentina’s president was also congratulated by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu via X, Paraguay’s president Santiago Peña via X, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent via X. There have also been congratulations from other figures like Governor Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas, of Sao Paolo, and U.S. Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar.

Unsurprisingly, all of these congratulations come from right wing leaders, as Milei endeavours to build a worldwide network of support, which continues to grow. In the past, this has led critics to comment on Milei’s complicity with Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which places Argentina in a loaded set of global power dynamics. These election results have given Milei better power within parliament; he will now be presenting his plans for the nation to more members of his own party than before. Although La Libertad Avanza do not hold the absolute majority, they hold around 49% of the Lower House, and a third of the Senate.

Milei holds this power until at least 2027, when the next presidential elections are, but knowing his polarizing nature (he did begin his presidency holding a chainsaw to represent spending cuts), it is almost undeniable that Milei will be in the news again before then.