Why everyone should be talking about Argentina 

One of the most emblematic buildings in downtown Buenos Aires is the Casa Rosada—the Pink House. Self-explanatorily named after the colour of its façade, this French-style structure represents the site of executive power in Argentina, harbouring the President’s office and the Ministers’ Cabinet. On October 22, as citizens head to the polls in the country’s General Election, the possible successors for the Casa’s keys will be contested among a myriad of characters and political sectors. So far, the results are looking grim. 

With mounting inflation and years of battling social discontent, Argentinians have been clamouring for a necessary change. As expected, the presidential candidates have delivered a stream of promises and electoral discussions that tackle some of the issues the electorate is more interested in, such as insecurity, economic recovery, and social policy. The extent to which any of these figures will be able to achieve their promises is up for discussion, but the contents of Javier Milei’s campaign should be examined closely, as they are especially worrisome. 

Leader of the political collective Liberty Advances, Milei was the surprise of the latest electoral contest. Held on August 13, the PASO elections (open primaries where political coalitions officialise their candidates) were an outstanding win for Milei, as he unexpectedly outpaced right-wing Patricia Bullrich and Peronist Sergio Massa. Portraying himself as a political outsider, Milei is a former TV personality who studied economics and served in the Argentinian congress in 2021, but his current campaign is inflamed with far-right proposals. For instance, echoing Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, Milei proposes lowering gun control, replacing the peso with the US dollar, and privatising public firms. Similarly, he has criticised the school system for attempting to destroy the “traditional family,” is a known anti-abortionist, and a climate change denier. 

So, here lies the problem: Milei is a far-right populist who seeks to expand his personal agenda by employing the discontent of the Argentinian public and feeding on general disillusionment. For the past few years, Argentina has experienced an alarmingly growing inflation rate, reaching 124.4 percent last week (the highest it has been since 1991), and 40 percent of the population now lives in poverty. Milei has blamed the traditional “political caste” for the country’s current state, and while he is right to criticise the political establishment and hold its main figures accountable, absolute rejection of Argentinian institutions—along with dangerous populist and misinformed claims—cannot possibly uplift the nation’s circumstances. As a matter of fact, upon his victory at PASO, the value of the peso plummeted 18 percent after the results were announced, and his openly exclusionary and neoliberal policies threaten relations with the leftist wave in the region. 

Therefore, Milei’s campaign is more dangerous than promising. We must pay attention to the fast radicalisation of voters. Fueled by dissatisfaction, the far-right’s discourse is becoming more appealing than it should be, and reactionary movements are emerging as a response to a failing system. Currently, this is Argentina’s burden to carry, but their situation should be viewed as a cautionary tale by the international community since it demonstrates the danger of downplaying populist voices in political discussions. While their claims sound outrageous, this does not mean they do not have ideological strength. What is worse, it seems that part of their popularity stems from their inflammatory language. People are angry with the established structure and will do what they deem necessary to express their beliefs, regardless of how bigoted or exclusionary they can be.  

This is an invitation to view Milei as a symptom of a larger problem. Both internationally and domestically, citizens reject a system that has left thousands of people increasingly dissatisfied. Part of this dissatisfaction comes from the perceived power concentration of political and economic elites. A minority of the population benefits from the exploitation of the majority and the traditionally disenfranchised remain on the outskirts of political society. The other part of this dissatisfaction comes from increasing social turmoil, where the far-right keeps pushing for the restoration of traditional values in the hopes that it will return society to a golden era since they feel threatened by modernisation and wish to revert to social advances. What they fail to realise is that these progressions have benefitted civil society and are not the monster they are meant to fight. Rather, they should concentrate their efforts on the unjust structures that have consecutively reduced their possibilities of self-advancement. 

Therefore, this is also a call for public recognition of the problem. It is easy to assume that this type of violent and discriminatory rhetoric will fade away into the greater political spectrum and that their chances of acquiring seats are close to minimal. Evidently, this is not the case. Milei’s possible victory is an example of what can happen when people are desperate enough for change, transforming collective dissatisfaction into a radicalised opposition that extends the boundaries of what should be socially and politically acceptable. That is, they turn their issues with the system into a legitimiser of their prejudices, and by undermining the impact of their discourse, we do the possible victims of their speech a disservice. 

It is necessary to emphasise that the keys to the Casa Rosada have not been won yet, but the shadow of the far-right can be seen creeping from the seams. It is expanding its hold slowly but surely through Argentinian society.  The upcoming presidential race promises to be the physical manifestation of it; those who vote for Milei will become supporters—be it by will or by omission—of such an ideological spread. This transmission is not only domestic, as political discourses transcend national borders. Thus, the Argentinian case cannot be dismissed simply because it is far away. What Milei is promoting has already taken root in Canada, with different voices and tackling contrasting issues but with the same general sentiments.

At this moment, all we can truly do is hope Argentinians make the best choice despite the options they have been given. Regardless of who wins the presidential race, they will get the opportunity to rebuild their country and transform it into the political and economic power it once was. But, as we watch the news on October 22, let’s not forget the silent monster creeping its way into political society, nor the symptoms of its spread. After all, domestic trends travel, and they might be already knocking on our door.