In the lead-up to Argentina’s presidential runoff on November 19, right-wing economist Javier Milei has taken a page from former President Donald Trump’s playbook by raising concerns about the legitimacy of the election results. Mirroring Trump’s tactics, Milei alleges potential fraud and a rigged system that could thwart his chances of winning the presidency.
Milei, who gained popularity for criticizing the political establishment on television, positions himself as an outsider seeking to dismantle a corrupt elite and address the country’s economic challenges. His claims of election irregularities are seen by analysts as a strategy to energize his base, promote vigilance at polling stations, and potentially set the stage for contesting a loss.
Despite Argentina’s historically trusted electoral system, Milei’s narrative resonates with voters grappling with rising poverty and high inflation. The runoff between Milei and Economy Minister Sergio Massa is anticipated to be a close race, with pre-election polls indicating a dead heat.
Following Massa’s unexpected victory in the first round, where pre-election polls had suggested Milei was narrowly ahead, claims of fraud proliferated on social media. Milei supporters volunteered to monitor the vote at over 100,000 polling stations across the country, driven by a sense of distrust in the electoral process.
While Milei has not provided concrete evidence to support his fraud claims, he continues to assert that irregularities cast doubt on the election results. The situation has echoes of Trump’s unsubstantiated challenges during the 2020 U.S. elections.
Argentina’s voting system, characterized by paper ballots and an antiquated process, has faced scrutiny for potential vulnerabilities. However, experts argue that Milei’s emphasis on doubts about the system is more of a political strategy than a genuine concern about the electoral process.
Critics argue that Milei’s approach is a way to mobilize his base, portraying them as victims of an unfair system imposed by the dominant Peronist party. The discrepancy in resources between Milei’s Liberty Advances party and Massa’s Peronism highlights the uphill battle Milei faces in the election.
As Milei’s party presents complaints of “colossal fraud” to an electoral judge, analysts note that these claims are likely part of a broader effort to challenge the results if they do not favor Milei. However, the impact on Argentina’s strong democratic foundation is seen as limited, as Milei lacks the power to overturn results like Trump or former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Despite Milei’s claims, some key political figures, including opposition candidate Patricia Bullrich, have downplayed the scale of fraud capable of swaying the election. The overall sentiment is that while fraud claims could erode the legitimacy of the incoming government, Argentina’s democratic institutions remain robust.
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