Javier Milei closed the electoral campaign on Thursday riding a wave of euphoria sustained for two reasons: the massive popular event in Córdoba, a key province, and the enthusiastic and in-person support of Patricia Bullrich, ‘owner’ of 23.8% of the votes in the first round in October.
The ultra-liberal populist arrives with a slight advantage in the second round this Sunday, agrees the majority of the pollsters, who are very discredited in Argentina. While Milei was taking a mass bath in the second electoral district with the most voters in the country, strongly anti-Kirchnerist, the Peronist Sergio Massa closed his campaign in a traditional secondary school, Carlos Pellegrini, seeking to demonstrate that it is not so true that the youth supports Milei.
“Javier, it was your turn, you won and we accompany you with patriotism,” said an energetic Bullrich in an emotional act that saw Milei and the former candidate hug each other for several seconds. The very harsh disqualifications that were exchanged during the campaign were forgotten for a common objective: to remove Peronism from the Casa Rosada, which controlled 16 of the last 20 years.
The metamorphosis of Milei, known for his verbal excesses and many proposals that range from extravagant to dangerous, is accelerated. In recent days he insisted on the need for “change”, the great mantra of Together for Change, Bullrich’s coalition, to the detriment of “freedom”, his great motto. And, in a video seen widely on social networks, he campaigned denying Massa and even himself.
It will not privatize education, it will not privatize health, there will be no market for the sale of organs, nor will there be free sale of weapons. The objective is clear: to capture the vote of those who do not want Peronism to continue governing, but who are frightened by the proposals of the populist ultra-liberal. Córdoba, which in 2019 voted 71.5% in favor of the frustrated re-election of Mauricio Macri, contributes almost nine percent of the national voter registry. MIlei obtained 33% of the votes in the first round, reaching Macri’s figures would bring him very close to the Casa Rosada.
In that vote-by-vote battle, La Libertad Avanza (LLA), Milei’s party, insisted in the last week on the possibility of a number of votes being stolen that would make the election fraudulent. This insistence was criticized by many members of the entire political spectrum, who highlight the fact that the Argentine electoral system worked without problems in the last 40 years. In that sense, Milei also follows the manual of Jair Bolsonaro in this regard, who in 2022 was insistent on the alleged fraud in the face of the election that he would end up losing to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
“Exactly,” Milei responded when asked if she feared fraud. “The ruling party is showing very rude signs of desperation and they are capable of appealing to any device in order to retain power.”
In Argentina there are cases of ballot theft and manipulation in vote counting, but they are isolated. The oversight system, run by each political force, works. That’s what Milei and former president Mauricio Macri talked about in a meeting this Monday: how to link the oversight teams of both political forces. “President Macri and Mrs. Bullrich are two patriots: they offer us all their support in exchange for nothing,” Milei said.
In the central courtyard of the Pellegrini school, Massa received a mass bath. “I ask that those close to you explain the harm of the other proposals and try to convince them. Without disrespecting them. I ask you to help me. The young vote is super important in terms of electoral participation and definition of the electoral process “said the Peronist in a fervent 40-minute speech.
“That this is our closing campaign represents the country we want. I come to tell you that we are going to defend and improve public, inclusive and free education,” added the Minister of Economy, who jumped up hugging the young people singing “Sunday no matter what.” No matter what, on Sunday we have to win” and thanked his audience: “If I lacked fuel and energy to get to Sunday, you gave it to me. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”