In a surprising turn of events, Economy Minister Sergio Massa secured the top spot in the initial round of Argentina’s presidential election, highlighting voters’ reservations about entrusting the presidency to his primary competitor, a right-wing populist who disrupted national politics and pledged to significantly reduce the government’s role.

Massa’s victory over Javier Milei, an economist and first-term legislator known for his unconventional approach, occurred even as inflation under his watch soared to triple digits, eroding the purchasing power of wages and exacerbating poverty.

Surprisingly, Massa did not face a backlash from voters in Sunday’s election, NBC News reported.

With nearly all ballots tallied by early Monday, Massa garnered 36.7% of the vote, while Milei received 30%, setting the stage for a runoff on November 19.

Most pre-election polls, which have been notably unreliable, had given Milei a slight edge over Massa.

Patricia Bullrich, the former Security Minister from the primary center-right opposition coalition, secured 23.8% of the vote, finishing third in a field of five candidates.

Written by staff