Argentina readies to vote in likely presidential election thriller
By Nicolás Misculin
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) — Argentines head to the polls on Sunday in a delicately poised presidential runoff, with voters seeking a solution to triple-digit inflation and rising poverty and two clashing visions for the country's future on offer.
The election sees Peronist Economy Minister Sergio Massa go head-to-head with outsider libertarian Javier Milei. Massa offers continuity but has been at the helm during the worst economic crisis in two decades. Milei pledges economic shock therapy, from shutting the central bank to ditching the peso.
With many voters unconvinced by either, some have characterized the vote as a choice of the «lesser evil»: fear of Milei's painful economic medicine or anger at Massa over the economic crisis. Many Argentines say they won't vote at all.
Whoever wins, it will shake up Argentina's political landscape, its economic roadmap, trade in grains, lithium and hydrocarbons, and its global ties with partners including China, the United States and Brazil.
«The election will mark a profound rupture in the system of political representation in Argentina,» said Julio Burdman, director of the consultancy Observatorio Electoral.
«I think all the political forces as we have known them are going to be transformed.»
The story of the election race has been the shock rise of 53-year-old economist and former TV pundit Milei, driven by the disenchantment of Argentines with the traditional political parties on both the left and right.
Milei has a slight edge in opinion polls, but most show a tight and uncertain race. Massa, 51, an experienced political wheeler-dealer, has been clawing back votes with tax cuts and campaigns highlighting Milei's radical plans to slash state spending.
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