The elected president of Argentina, Javier Milei, defeated the Peronist candidate Sergio Massa in 20 of the 23 provinces and in the capital Buenos Aires, in this Sunday’s presidential election (19). In total, Milei had an advantage of around three million votes: 14,476,462 against 11,516,142.
Thousands were voted in the provinces of Jujuy, Salta, Misiones, Corrientes, Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, Tucuman, San Luis, Corboba, Mendoza, La Pampa, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Entre Rivers, Chaco and Tierra del Fuego, and in the city of Buenos Aires. In Córdoba, the difference in the number of votes between the candidates was the largest: 74.05% of the votes for Milei against 25.94% for Massa.
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The current Economy Minister of Alberto Fernández’s government, Sergio Massa, received the most votes only in the province of Buenos Aires – which is not to be confused territorially with the city of Buenos Aires – in Santiago del Estero and Formosa.
The significant distance between Milei and Massa surprised Argentines, who predicted a smaller vote disparity than what actually occurred. From the first to the second round, Milei went from eight million votes to 14.4 million.
The extra votes represent practically the same number of votes that third place, Patricia Bullrich, received in the first round: 6.2 million. After the defeat, Bullrich declared support for Milei in the second round of the election, as did former president Mauricio Macri.
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Javier Milei will occupy Casa Rosada, the seat of the Argentine government, from December 10th, the day Alberto Fernández’s term ends. In his first speech, Milei said that this Sunday was “a historic night: today the reconstruction of Argentina begins.”
Massa, in turn, called Milei to recognize the result, “to congratulate him and wish him good luck, because he is the president that the majority of Argentines elected for the next four years”.
“I continue to believe, just as on the first day, that Argentina needs state political agreements, that the educational system, the work system, the system of guarantees, human rights, international relations, must be agreements through which Argentina moves”, said the candidate for the Union for the Fatherland coalition in a speech.
“I understand those who feel disappointment and anger tonight. I want to say personally that I tried to leave my all in this campaign. I did this convinced because I deeply love Argentina, almost with the same intensity with which I love my children”, he continued.
And he ended with an appeal: “May the new generations come. Let us continue to make transitional and democratic change, let thousands of young people continue to fall in love with the fact that Argentina is a great country.”
Editing: Vivian Virissimo
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
