Milei’s Party Achieves Landslide Victory in Midterms
In Argentina’s midterm elections, President Javier Milei won a huge victory, receiving about 41% of the vote and keeping control of both legislative houses. His party, La Libertad Avanza, won 13 of the 24 Senate seats and 64 of the 127 contested lower-house seats. This was a key point in Milei’s strong drive for change.
This victory provides Milei more power to push his economic policy, which focuses on austerity and involves eliminating state expenditure, subsidies, and the rules that govern Argentina’s largely controlled economy. His government, which is known for the “chainsaw” symbol of budget cutbacks, now has the political power to push through changes that were previously rejected by MPs from the other party.
Trump Applauds Milei’s Win Amid Growing US-Argentina Ties
After the election, former US President Donald Trump commended Milei on social media, stating, “He’s making us all look good.” Trump has already linked Milei’s continuing political success to the promise of a 40 billion US dollar financial package.
Milei’s victory address sounded a lot like Trump’s populist tone. He told his supporters, “We must consolidate the path of reform to make Argentina great again.” His support for Washington shows that the two countries’ connections are getting stronger as Argentina goes through its worst economic reorganization in decades.
Supporters Celebrate Reform Momentum in Buenos Aires
Thousands of Milei’s supporters gathered outside a hotel in Buenos Aires, waving flags and screaming in celebration of what they termed a “historic win for freedom.” Many others said they were hopeful that the president may finally bring about economic revival after years of stagnation.
“Milei didn’t have 15% of Congress previously. Now he can change the country in a year,” claimed Dionisio, a young fan. Ezequiel, another voter, said, “Corruption destroyed our province. Freedom has won now.” Their hopefulness shows that Milei still has a lot of support from regular people, even if more and more working-class Argentines are unhappy.
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Austerity Cuts Bring Inflation Relief but Social Pain
Milei’s government has cut the budgets of schools, pensions, infrastructure, and healthcare by a lot. As part of measures to get rid of budget shortfalls, tens of thousands of public sector workers have lost their jobs. Supporters praise these steps for bringing down triple-digit inflation and stabilizing the currency, which had been a problem for Argentina for years.
But critics say that the societal cost is going up. Juliana, who works with kids with impairments, is worried that funding for social services will be reduced again. “Our pay is modest, yet prices are going up,” she stated. “We still don’t see a real change.” Retired Veronica said, “You see poverty everywhere.” It is hard for families to get by since factories are closing.
Economic Risks Loom Despite Market Confidence
Analysts say that Argentina’s economy is still weak, even though the midterm results were good for the financial markets. Milei has kept inflation low by propping up the peso, which makes it too expensive and drains foreign reserves. The country will have to pay back 20 billion US dollars in debt next year, which makes people worry about another financial disaster.
Trump’s financial support could help keep things stable for now, but analysts say that for the economy to really revive, it needs structural changes, foreign investment, and political stability. Milei’s partnership with the US might be very important in getting the world to trust him.
Divided Public Opinion on Milei’s Reforms
With a turnout of 67.9%, the election showed that the voters were split. Some voters backed Milei even though they didn’t want to, thinking his strong policies were needed. Dardo, who owns a firm in Buenos Aires, stated, “We’re on the right track, but the middle and working classes are suffering too much.”
Others, like political science student Thiago, didn’t like Milei’s plan. He said, “We need fiscal balance, but hospitals and infrastructure aren’t getting enough money. There is false hope.” Even if some have said bad things about Milei, his message of self-reliance and anti-corruption still speaks to a lot of people.
Political Mandate Strengthens Milei’s Reform Agenda
Milei’s big win offers him a greater mandate to speed up privatization, deregulation, and cutting the deficit before the 2027 presidential election, when he might run for reelection. His coalition’s larger representation in Congress makes it easier for measures that fit with his free-market ideas to pass.
After the results came in, Milei said, “Argentines showed they don’t want to go back to the failed model of inflation and waste.” Argentina’s markets are doing well for now, but the real test will be if regular people start to feel real economic respite before the misery of austerity makes people lose their patience again.
