These are decisive days for the destiny of Argentina. Voters vote on the 19th, in the second round of the presidential election, between two totally opposing models of government. Federal deputy and economist Javier Milei, from the newcomer A Liberdade Avança, appears ahead in voting intention polls released this Friday. The ultra-right candidate, who prefers to be called ‘libertarian’, has a slight advantage, according to surveys by the Argentine companies Opinaia and Solmoirago, according to a Clarín article in Spanish.
The research by the company AtlasIntel, carried out by Brazilian experts and disseminated on its social networks, points to a victory for Milei with almost 4% Milei, if the election were held today. The data shows 52.1% for the libertarian and 47.9% for the government candidate and Economy Minister, Sergio Massa. In the first round, AtlasIntel got the result right, when Massa received more votes than Milei (around 37% to 30%). The high rejection rate against Massa would make his election difficult if the election were held today, according to the survey. However, Milei also has a high rejection rate. However, in the equation of research companies, he has an advantage to occupy the presidential seat in the Casa Rosada. Milei’s support grew from the agreement with former president Mauricio Macri and former presidential candidate Patricia Bullrich after the first round. Part of the votes from Bullrich (who received almost 24% of the vote) and Juan Schiaretti (7%) benefited Milei more than Massa, who, as Economy Minister, faces the challenge of high inflation – a topic that rarely appears in his interviews and speeches.
Milei, in turn, intensified his fierce criticism against President Lula and Brazil. This week, in an interview with a Peruvian journalist, he once again said that Lula is a communist and added ‘corrupt’ to his statements. Milei has also said that his eventual government will not maintain relations with Brazil and China – Argentina’s two main trading partners. In response, Brazil’s ambassador to Argentina, Julio Bitelli, said that, in President Lula’s view, relations between countries should not be affected by ideological differences.
The next few days will be decisive. This Sunday (12), Massa and Milei participate in the only debate before the second round of the election.