Socialist Brazil: ‘Of Course We Are Worried’ About Conservative Winning Argentina Presidency
Brazil’s Finance Minister Fernando Haddad told Reuters on Thursday that the Brazilian government is worried about a possible victory by libertarian economist Javier Milei in Argentina’s Sunday presidential election.
Milei, an outsider libertarian populist, is the Argentine presidential race’s frontrunner candidate, according to most recent polls. In August, Milei obtained roughly 30 percent of the national vote in Argentina’s open primary election. Any candidate seeking to run for office must obtain at least 1.5 percent of the votes during the open primary process to be able to appear on the general election ballot.
Milei is a staunch anti-communist who has repeatedly stated that he “does not do business with communists.” The economist has promised sweeping changes to Argentina’s ailing economy and its foreign policy, including vows to cut state ties with China. Should Milei follow through on that proposal, it would create significant obstacles for China which, under the pro-China government of outgoing leftist President Alberto Fernández, has been able to capitalize on the nation’s dire economic and social distress to exert pressure and seize control of some of its strategic sectors.
Recent polls suggest that while Milei is slated to win on Sunday, he may fall short of the required votes to be elected in the first round, which will automatically trigger a runoff election on November 19 between the two most-voted candidates.
To win the presidency in the first round and avoid a runoff election, a presidential candidate must obtain either more than 45 percent of the votes cast or more than 40 percent and have a difference of more than ten percentage points between themselves and the runner-up candidate. The next president-elect will begin his or her term on December 10.
“Of course I am worried. A person whose slogan is to break the relationship with Brazil that was built over centuries does worry us,” Haddad told Reuters late Wednesday. “It would worry anyone.”
Historically, Argentina has maintained close commercial and diplomatic ties with Brazil.. At an ideological level, both nations have, under the auspices of their current leftist governments, further steered towards China, especially Brazil following the start of radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s third presidential term in January. Brazil and Argentina signed agreements with China this year to discard the use of the United States dollar and adopt the Chinese yuan to conduct trade with the Asian nation.
Read More Here: Breitbart
Posts
