President Javier Milei has abruptly pulled out of campaigning for the ruling party in Buenos Aires Province, cancelling all remaining events in Argentina’s largest electoral district.
Milei, 54, will take his La Libertad Avanza rallies to more friendlier territory, including Córdoba and Rosario, for the final days of campaigning. The decision leaves candidate Diego Santilli to lead the final, decisive week before Sunday’s midterm elections.
The decision, taken over the weekend at the Olivos residence, ends Milei’s direct involvement in the province governed by Axel Kicillof. The President cancelled a rally planned for Wednesday in Ezeiza and will not return before election day.
Polling points to a narrowing but still significant gap for the ruling party. A survey by Proyección Consultores conducted between October 8 and 14 gave the opposition Fuerza Patria coalition 42.3 percent of the vote in Buenos Aires Province, compared with 31.5 percent for La Libertad Avanza and its allies.
Nationwide, the libertarians hold a narrow lead of 36.4 percent to 34 percent. The same study found that 60.8 percent of Buenos Aires residents view Milei’s performance negatively, while 53.1 percent disapprove of Kicillof’s.
Another poll by Rubikon Consultores, carried out on October 11 and 12, places La Libertad Avanza at 34.6 percent nationwide and Fuerza Patria at 32.2 percent. It notes a slide in Milei’s image following his show at the Movistar Arena, with 31 percent of respondents saying their opinion of him worsened and just 10.6 percent saying it improved.
Both firms highlight the deep polarisation shaping the race: La Libertad Avanza retains a solid 30 percent base but faces 35 percent rejection.
Milei’s retreat marks the end of a chaotic and turbulent run for La Libertad Avanza in Buenos Aires Province, marked by the resignation of its top candidate José Luis Espert over alleged links to a suspected drug-trafficker.
Milei’s party then sought to demote its second-place candidate Karen Reichardt, replacing the former model with Santilli, from the allied PRO party of ex-president Mauricio Macri.
Meanwhile, the President and his team have faced a string of protests, cancelling rallies in Lomas de Zamora, Moreno, Junín and Mar del Plata at short notice.
Political insiders say Milei concluded that his presence risked further “unforced errors” and chose instead to concentrate on the provinces where he remains popular. His withdrawal also sidelines La Libertad Avanza’s campaign strategist, his sister Karina Milei, and provincial organiser Sebastián Pareja from the charge.
With Santilli now in charge of the Buenos Aires Province campaign, President Milei will make only two final stops before the pre-election blackout: in Córdoba on Tuesday and Rosario on Thursday, where he will close out La Libertad Avanza’s national campaign.
The move comes amid growing financial turbulence and talk of an imminent reshuffle that will see Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein replaced and could lead to Milei’s top strategist, Santiago Caputo, formally join the Cabinet.
– TIMES/NA
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