The radical libertarian economist Javier Milei placed first in Argentina’s primary election, upsetting the two-party system of the past 20 years. Milei describes climate change as a socialist lie, advocates for closing the central bank and chastises Argentina’s political class as a self-dealing ‘caste’. Milei’s success echoes that of recent outsiders on the right like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, both of whom Milei has said he admires. In this episode, Brian Winter and political analyst and professor Ignacio Labaqui examine what explains his rise and if he actually has a chance to win when the real voting takes place in October. They also discuss the possible paths forward for the other candidates, Sergio Massa, of the governing Peronist coalition, and Patricia Bullrich, of the center-right party of former president Mauricio Macri.
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Guests:
Ignacio Labaqui is senior analyst at Medley Global Advisors and professor at the Universidad Católica Argentina
Brian Winter is AQ’s editor-in-chief
Supplemental reading:
Argentina’s Election and its “Barrani” Moment by Eduardo Levy Yeyati
What Peronism’s White-Knuckle Deal Means for Argentina’s Presidential Race by María Esperanza Casullo
Can Javier Milei Really Win in Argentina? by Ignacio Labaqui
