Argentina’s President Javier Milei secured decisive victories in key districts during Sunday’s midterm elections, clinching a crucial vote of confidence that bolsters his mandate to advance his radical free-market agenda. His governing party, La Libertad Avanza, garnered over 40% of the votes in national elections determining nearly half of the lower house of the National Congress, according to local media tallies based on official electoral data with more than 97% of votes counted.
La Libertad Avanza also dominated six of the eight provinces in the Senate elections, which decided a third of the seats. The results surpassed analysts’ expectations for Sunday’s vote.
Meanwhile, the left-leaning populist opposition movement, known as Peronism, received slightly over 31% of the vote — an outcome described by analysts as the alliance’s poorest performance in years.
Milei announced that his party’s representation in the lower house surged from just 37 seats to 101 following the election. In the Senate, La Libertad Avanza increased its count by 14 seats, reaching a total of 20 senators.
This strong showing ensures that Milei will have sufficient support in Congress to uphold presidential vetoes, thwart impeachment attempts, and push through his ambitious tax and labor reforms in the coming months.
At his party headquarters in downtown Buenos Aires, Milei took the stage enthusiastically, singing a few lines from the death-metal anthem that has become his signature in a raspy baritone: “I am the king of a lost world!” He beamed as supporters cheered, using the results as proof that Argentina had turned the page on decades of Peronism — a period marked by repeated sovereign debt defaults and economic instability.
“The Argentine people left decadence behind and opted for progress,” Milei declared, expressing gratitude to “all those who supported the ideas of freedom to make Argentina great again.”
Perhaps never before has an Argentine legislative election drawn so much attention in Washington and Wall Street. This heightened interest followed President Trump’s indication that he could withhold $20 billion in financial assistance to his close ally Argentina if Milei lost to Peronism in Sunday’s vote.
However, this international buzz was not strongly felt within Argentina. Despite compulsory voting, electoral authorities reported a turnout just under 68% — among the lowest since the nation’s return to democracy in 1983.
Milei, a key ideological ally of Trump, has aggressively slashed state spending and liberalized Argentina’s economy after decades plagued by budget deficits and protectionism. The stakes were high for Milei in Sunday’s elections.
His government has been working hard to prevent a currency crisis after suffering a major defeat to the Peronist opposition in a provincial election last month, which spooked markets and triggered a peso selloff. This prompted an extraordinary intervention by the U.S. Treasury.
Complicating Milei’s standing have been a series of scandals, including bribery allegations against his politically influential sister, Karina Milei, which damaged his image as an anti-corruption reformer. These controversies struck a chord with voters already struggling under harsh austerity measures.
Though the budget cuts have significantly reduced inflation — from an annual high of 289% in April 2024 to 32% last month — many Argentines continue to face financial hardships. Prices have risen faster than salaries and pensions since Milei cut cost-of-living adjustments. Additionally, households now pay more for electricity and public transport following subsidy reductions. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is higher than when Milei took office.
Overall, Milei’s electoral success provides him with a strengthened platform to implement his free-market reforms amid ongoing economic challenges and public discontent.
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-10-26/argentina-votes-in-midterm-elections-set-to-test-president-mileis-mandate-and-us-support
