President Javier Milei thanks ‘10 million Argentines’ as he revels in election win

President Javier Milei thanked Argentines for their support on Sunday night as he celebrated a strong performance for his party in key midterm elections.

In a speech at his party’s election night headquarters in Buenos Aires, Milei thanked the “10 million Argentines” who voted for La Libertad Avanza and its allies in the national legislative vote. 

Hailing the ballot as a "turning point," the La Libertad Avanza leader hailed a "historic day" that will allow his government to "move forward on the path of reform."

“Now the construction of a great Argentina begins,” he declared to applause from supporters.

The President described the results as "confirmation of the mandate" he received from voters in the 2023 election. "From La Quiaca to Ushuaia, the people confirmed their desire to change the destiny of the country."

He argued that "two out of three Argentines do not want to return to the past."

Milei, 55, thanked all the members of his Cabinet by name and, in particular, praised ex-PRO party members Patricia Bullrich and Luis Petri, his ministers of security and defence respectively, who “joined forces” with him in 2023 ahead of the presidential run-off that took him to power.

He described his sister, Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina MIlei, and top advisor, Santiago Caputo, as the “architects” of the success.

A delighted Milei, who said he was here to “put an end to populism,” praised the first-ever “marvellous” use of the single ballot paper (BUP) system, introduced for this vote, which he said had put an end to electoral tricks. 

Noting that La Libertad Avanza’s caucus will go from “37 deputies to 101 deputies” and from “seven senators to ten,” Milei said there are “dozens of deputies from other parties with whom we can reach basic agreements.”

He also called on provincial governors to work with him to return Argentina to greatness and vowed a deep reform push lies ahead.

“Starting December 10, we will have the most reformist Congress in history,” he declared.

“In many provinces, the second largest force was not Kirchnerism [i.e. Peronism/Fuerza Patria] but the provincial ruling party," he noted, inviting "the vast majority of governors to discuss these agreements together."

In a victory that will help to dispel fears of political weakness, Milei's government received strong support from voters on Sunday night. 

With more than 90 percent of the votes counted, results showed that La Libertad Avanza had taken more than 40 percent of votes nationwide, around nine points ahead of its closest rival, the opposition Fuerza Patria coalition and the Peronist force’s provincial allies. 

The big surprise of the night came in Buenos Aires Province, a traditional Peronist stronghold, where the LLA list headed by Diego Santilli managed to reverse a scenario that seemed impossible. The ruling party won by a slight margin in a district where, just a month and a half ago, it had lost the local elections by a margin of 14 points. 

The victory was the jewel in the crown for La Libertad Avanza, which was the only national force to run in all regions and won in 16 of the 24 provinces.

Final results are yet to be confirmed, but La Libertad Avanza is expected to become the first minority force in the lower house, with around 110 lawmakers including allies. Peronism will likely have around 98 deputies. 

The ruling party will be able to negotiate greater support on some issues by working with other minority caucuses.

– TIMES/NA