Argentina’s presidential elections will take place in October, but the country is now fully in campaign mode. In this episode, AQ‘s Brian Winter and María Esperanza Casullo discuss surprising recent developments, such as the ruling coalition’s decision to back Economy Minister Sergio Massa as their candidate, and the apparent decline in support for the right-wing libertarian Javier Milei. They dissect the chances for the main contestants, and whether any of them would be able to rescue Argentina from its long stretch of economic troubles and take advantage of the country’s potential as a source of oil and gas, lithium, and other commodities. Casullo, who is based in the southern province of Neuquén, also describes what the election looks like outside the Buenos Aires metropolitan area.
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Guests:
María Esperanza Casullo is a political scientist and professor at the National University of Río Negro. She is the author of Por Qué Funciona El Populismo? (Why Does Populism Work?)
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
