Milei sweeps the legislative elections and reaffirms her political path mid-term.

Buenos Aires"Today has clearly been a historic day for Argentina. The Argentine people have decided to leave behind 100 years of decadence and persist on the path of freedom, progress, and growth." These were the words of President Javier Milei to his electorate upon learning the results of the legislative elections, which consolidate the presence of his party, La Libertad Avanza, in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, where Milei has been in the minority for nearly two years of his term. This Sunday, 36 million Argentines were called to vote to finalize the composition of the chambers and, to everyone's surprise - including Milei himself and his cabinet - the support has been massive and the victory resounding: 40% of the votes have been for the violet formation, which will be able to improve its policy again.

La Libertad Avanza had 37 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and will now have 93. This represents more than a third of the total - 257 -, which will allow Milei to shield his decrees. In the Upper House, the libertarians triple their representation: from 6 to 20 senators. Milei thus improves his governability and intends to seek to promote (or block) legislative initiatives with greater ease. The government's priority now is to carry out a tax, pension and labor reform. In addition, it is expected that as of Monday the market will begin to show signs of optimism, especially with the rise in the value of the Argentine stocks and a stabilization of the dollar's value. Milei also extended his support to provincial governors, who have been punished by cuts in public funding but whom the president praised as "rational, pro-capitalist actors."

"Milei is putting order to all the waste that has been going on in Argentina in recent years," Jennifer, 25, who has come from the province of Buenos Aires to the party headquarters to support the president, tells ARA, "and this seems perfect to me." She defines herself as anti-Peronist and explains that her son is disabled due to cancer: "Currently, my son can be treated in a public hospital without any problems and receives disability benefits completely normally," she explains, referring to two specific citizen complaints that she experiences firsthand and with which, she assures, she has "no problem." Next to her, her friend shakes her head and explains that "the province of Buenos Aires is a disaster." "We're fed up: there are unpaved streets and a lack of sanitation systems, all because of Governor [Axel] Kicillof," she says. It is precisely in the province of Buenos Aires, the most populated in the country, where Milei has surprised, possibly even himself and his people: he has won – by less than one point – in a district that is a bastion of Peronism and where suffered an electoral setback in the provincial elections, not even two months ago.

Wide victory

Milei has won in 16 of Argentina's 24 electoral districts: "Today, the entire country, from La Quiaca to Ushuaia, has confirmed its vocation to irreversibly change the destiny of the country," she said, interpreting the result as "the confirmation of the mandate we assumed." Far from her usual style, Milei – who is in the habit of insulting political rivals and even wishing for their disappearance – has adopted a conciliatory tone on this occasion: "Thank you to each and every one of the Argentines who have accompanied us, and to those who have not, too, because a great Argentina is for everyone."

For its part, Peronism refused to acknowledge defeat. In a collective performance on a stage with various leaders—Governor Axel Kicillof; the candidate for the province of Buenos Aires, Jorge Taiana; and former Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, among others—members of the Fuerza Patria coalition maintained their momentum and warned Milei that "she is wrong to celebrate this result" and "if she ignores the situation the Argentine people are going through and where businesses have closed." Furthermore, Kicillof criticized the financial aid Milei requested from Donald Trump, who promised a $40 billion bailout for Argentina. For Peronism, this represents submission on Milei's part and an interventionist threat on Trump's part.

Peronism itself has positioned itself as the second-largest force nationwide, with 31% support. It remains the majority party in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, with the difference that La Libertad Avanza has now narrowed the gap considerably. Regarding turnout, these elections were the lowest since the return of democracy in 1983: 68% of voters turned out.