Argentinians will elect the new president next Sunday from the economy minister, centrist Peronist Sergio Massa, and libertarian leader Javier Milei, with antagonistic economic policy proposals. The polls give the two candidates a technical tie.

While Massa defends a current and protective state in his speech, Milei proposes eliminating the Central Bank to stop the monetary issue that fuels inflation and dollarize the economy.

Inflation in Argentina reached an annual rate of 142.7% in October, one of the highest rates in the world and one of the top concerns of the population, with less than a week to go until the presidential elections on November 19.

Economy Minister Sergio Massa and libertarian leader Javier Milei accused each other of being a “thief” or “mentally unbalanced” in a debate on Sunday, in an attempt to secure the last votes a week before the presidential runoff in Argentina, as shown by the polls. in technical band.

“Argentinians must choose who has the moderation, mental balance and contact with reality to move Argentina forward,” said Massa, a centrist Peronist who attempted to show serenity while emphasizing the importance of both candidates undergo an investigation. psychotechnical test.

At the same time, Milei, a self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist economist, attacked Massa by defining him as part of the “corrupt and stupid (thief) caste” and claiming that “his political brand has been in power for sixteen years.”

The caste “consists of thieving politicians. You have them all with you, they are the Kirchnerists. Another part are the prebendary businessmen, the vast majority are friends of yours or you have business with them,” said Milei de Massa in this latest debate in the auditorium of the University of Buenos Aires Law Faculty.

Few suggestions

The head of the Treasury Palace jumped up to bite his opponent’s jugular after his first intervention, where, instead of making his proposals on the economy, he used his minutes to question Milei, knowing that it would corner him of the libertarian whether removing him from the state would be moderate. what he started could tip the balance in his favor.

“Javier, yes or no, I want to ask you: you said in (journalist Eduardo) Feinmann’s program that you are going to abolish subsidies. Are you going to eliminate them, yes or no? Will you privatize (the) Vaca Muerta deposit (…)? Yes or no, will you dollarize the economy as you proposed in the letter you presented to the electoral judge? Yes or no? Will you, yes or no, privatize rivers and seas (…)? Yes or no, will you eliminate the Central Bank? Massa snapped.

Faced with this series of questions, Milei became upset and told his rival that he would not “condition” him to answer “yes or no”, and after solving some questions, He summarized that he would ‘end the Central Bank’ and the ‘cancer of inflation’.

The Economy Minister called Milei a “liar” so often that the libertarian said: “If a liar says someone is a liar, the one accused is the one telling the truth. Because if you were Pinocchio, you would already have hurt my eye.”

Elections this Sunday the 19th

The two candidates tried to convince the undecided sector before the second presidential round on November 19, which is expected to be close and in which many voters feel that they will choose the lesser evil amid a serious economic crisis with inflation on annual rate of 140% and 40% poverty.

In the first round on October 22, Massa came first with almost 37% of the votes and Milei second with 30%. The third candidate, Patricia Bullrich, who received 24%, asked her followers to support the libertarian in the second round.

“I want to become president knowing that some will vote for me without being convinced, as a means of not choosing a path that is one of violence and damage,” said Massa, who proposes a government of national unity, broader than Peronism, if he wins the elections.

Milei, meanwhile, described the elections as a dilemma between inflation or stability, economic decline or growth, populism or republicanism, and called for “voting without fear because fear paralyzes, and if you paralyze, you benefit from the status quo that impoverishes us.” .

In this last part of the campaign, Milei, who had attended political events with a chainsaw, a symbol of his intention to cut public spending, was more cautious in his proposals, although he confirmed this Sunday that he would eliminate the Central Bank and economy would dollarize. the economy if he is elected.

The next Argentine president will take office on December 10 for a four-year term. (JO)