The right-wing, populist libertarian La Libertad Avanza party of President Javier Milei has won resoundingly in Sunday’s midterm legislative elections in Argentina.
Expectations from Milei supporters had been modest, given recent underperformance in the Buenos Aires provincial elections in early September, when the Avanza party was crushed by the left-wing Peronist party.
The defeat in September led to speculation that Milei’s purple-clad loyalists of the Libertad Avanza party were set for another defeat, especially after public popularity for the conservative libertarian leader had been slashed in the wake of a corruption scandal that allegedly involved the president’s sister.
Frustration had also been mounting due to the president’s cutting away of public spending and pension benefits.
However, early poll numbers indicated that La Libertad Avanza was outperforming its opponents, the left-wing Peronist Fuerzas Patria and Provincias Unidas, on Sunday evening, and was set to seize the election with over 40% of the vote.
The final vote count pushed Milei’s Avanza party on top with 40.7% to the Peronist alliance’s 31.7% with 98% of the vote count tallied. La Libertad Avanza also added 64 seats to the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Argentine National Congress.
Milei’s party will now hold a total of 101 of the total of 257 seats in the house, but will need several vote-ins from a broader alliance in order to pass any meaningful legislation.
The dynamics in the Argentine Senate will play out largely the same in percentage. The Avanza party managed to enlarge its political influence, adding 12 more seats out of a total of 72 in the senate.
Turnout for the midterm elections was recorded at an estimated 67%, setting a record low since 2021, indicating lower enthusiasm for this round’s candidates.
The Argentine president will be relieved over Sunday’s victory after receiving a public endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently vowed to extend a $40 billion rescue fund for Argentina after the nation burned through its dollar reserves.
President Trump also threatened to revoke the bailout if Javier Milei were to lose his re-election bid in 2027.
