There was caution at the La Libertad Avanza bunker in the run-up to the election result and after it was disclosed, the atmosphere of optimism at the party's banker vanished.
Yet despite the brief drop in positivity, there was one figure who remained cheerful throughout and willing to grant interviews: Eduardo Bolsonaro.
The son of former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro arrived in Buenos Aires on Sunday night at Javier Milei's personal invitation.
During discussions with Perfil, Bolsonaro Jnr compared the Argentine libertarian movement with the sector that supported his father and swept him to power in Brazil.
“I see a movement which reminds a lot of Brazil in 2018. It’s a popular movement of people who are not paid. Milei is the only choice in Argentina for a president who can appoint his ministers by merit and by no caste criteria,” Bolsonaro said in an interview.
In line with the typical libertarian “out with them all” sermon, Bolsonaro assured that: “All of those competing against him, Patricia Bullrich and Sergio Massa, already had their shot and accomplished nothing. It’s Milei’s time."
The Brazilian ultra-right leader insisted that the political division so often spoken of in Argentina and his country “is an invention.”
"Pollarisation is an invention of the left. They treat us like Nazis, fascists and misogynistic because they are in no condition to debate. If they argue with us, who have truth on our side, we’ll always win,” he said.
Bolsonaro, 39, was something of a celebrity at the libertarian's bunker.
At around 9pm local time, while waiting results, he took to the streets, granting interviews to Argentine and foreign journalists.
He took selfies with fans and said hello to everyone who asked. A group of women, including friends of Karina Milei, the candidate's sister, approached with plenty of interest, asking for hugs and photos.
In every interview, Bolsonaro – currently a national deputy in Brazil – remarked on his father’s political and court situation, claiming he was been unfairly persecuted.
Bolsonaro Snr ended his term of office in December 2022 after losing the presidential election to former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
A few months later, he was barred from taking part in elections for eight years for criminal wrongdoing during the campaign. Brazil electoral courts found him guilty of “abuse of power” for spreading unfounded lies about the voting system in Brazil.
His son defends him and will continue to keep doing so.
"In Brazil we work a lot to have transparent elections, but the Higher Electoral Court did not let us pass a law for greater transparency,” he declared.
Comments