Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei won decisive victories in key districts in midterm elections Sunday, clinching a crucial vote of confidence that strengthens his ability to carry out his radical free-market experiment with billions of dollars in backing from the Trump administration, the AP reports. Milei's governing La Libertad Avanza party won over 40% of votes in national elections to renew almost half of the lower house of Congress, according to tallies in local media using numbers from electoral authorities with more than 97% of votes counted. La Libertad Avanza also swept six of the eight provinces in the vote to renew a third of the Senate. The figures exceeded analysts' projections for Sunday's vote.
In comparison, the results showed the left-leaning populist opposition movement, known as Peronism, winning over 31% of the vote—what analysts described as the alliance's poorest performance in years. Milei said his party went from holding just 37 seats in the lower house of Congress to 101 after Sunday's vote. In the Senate, he said La Libertad Avanza picked up 14 more seats to end up with 20 senators. The strong showing ensures Milei will have enough support in Congress to uphold presidential vetoes, prevent an impeachment effort, and see through his ambitious plans for tax and labor reforms in the coming months.
Perhaps never has an Argentine legislative election generated so much interest in Washington and Wall Street, particularly after US President Trump indicated that he could rescind $20 billion in financial assistance to his close ally in cash-strapped Argentina if Milei lost Sunday's vote. But the buzz around the election abroad wasn't felt in Argentina. Even though voting is compulsory, electoral authorities reported a turnout rate of just under 68% Sunday, among the lowest recorded since the nation's 1983 return to democracy. At his party headquarters, Milei thanked "all those who supported the ideas of freedom to make Argentina great again."
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