In the first round of the election on 22 October, Massa of the ruling
Union for the Homeland unexpectedly came in first place, winning 36% of the vote, against Milei of
La Libertad Avanza, who came in second place, with 30% of the vote. Massa's victory in the first round was seen as an
upset because of the severe inflation that took place during Massa's tenure as Minister of Economy, as well as Milei's lead in polls up to that point.[5]
In the runoff, Milei defeated Massa with 55.8% of the vote, the highest percentage of the vote since
Argentina's transition to democracy. In a surprise reversal of the first round, Milei outperformed polls, which had been calling a much closer race. Massa conceded defeat shortly before the official results were published.[6][7]
A
right-wing libertarian who has also been described as a
far-right populist, Milei, who is a member of the
Libertarian Party, became the first libertarian president in Argentine history.[8] Observers generally saw Milei's win as a sign more of discontent with the status quo than support for his politics,[9] and his victory was likened to those of
Donald Trump in the United States and
Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.[10][11]
Planning
Security and counter-terrorism efforts
According to reports, the inauguration ceremony was heavily guarded with the mobilization of 7,000 security personnel. Drones were utilized as part of the security measures.[12]
Pre-inaugural events
After winning the election, Milei announced upcoming visits to the United States and Israel before taking the oath.[13] On 21 November, Milei met with the outgoing president
Alberto Fernández.[14] On 26 November, in an attempt to soften his image, Milei also invited the incumbent Brazilian president
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom he had insulted as a
communist and as someone he would not deal with during his campaign;[15] Lula declined the invite.[16] On 27 November, Milei visited the United States and prayed at the grave of the famous Orthodox rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994) in New York City.[17] On 28 November, Milei announced that four countries (
Cuba,
Iran,
Nicaragua, and
Venezuela) were not invited to his inauguration.[18]
Inaugural events
As is customary, Milei delivered a speech to the Argentine nation,[19][20] warning of an
economic shock, which has been described as
shock therapy in economic terms, to be used as a means to fix Argentina's economic woes,[21][22][23] with inflation rising to 200 percent.[24] He was accompanied to
Casa Rosada by his sister Karina, who also officially became the
First Lady of Argentina rather than Milei's partner
Fátima Flórez.[25][26]
Following the inauguration, Milei saw his popularity increase in public opinion. After the first governmental and economic reforms taken by the president and his ministers, 53% of the Argentine people had a very good and good image of the new head of state according to a popularity poll made by Aresco on 15 December.[27]
Guests
Over twenty national leaders and representatives attended Milei's inauguration.[28][29] Former United States president
Donald Trump indicated that he wanted to participate but did not do so for logistical reasons.[30] Hungarian prime minister
Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian president
Volodymyr Zelenskyy were seen having an argument during the presentation of Milei and Villarruel before the Senate, described the following day by Zelenskyy as a "frank talk".[31][32]
^Javier Ortega Smith [@Ortega_Smith] (9 December 2023).
"¡Vamos Argentina! ¡En pie! 🇦🇷" [Let's go Argentina! Standing! 🇦🇷] (
Tweet).
Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023 – via
Twitter.
In the first round of the election on 22 October, Massa of the ruling
Union for the Homeland unexpectedly came in first place, winning 36% of the vote, against Milei of
La Libertad Avanza, who came in second place, with 30% of the vote. Massa's victory in the first round was seen as an
upset because of the severe inflation that took place during Massa's tenure as Minister of Economy, as well as Milei's lead in polls up to that point.[5]
In the runoff, Milei defeated Massa with 55.8% of the vote, the highest percentage of the vote since
Argentina's transition to democracy. In a surprise reversal of the first round, Milei outperformed polls, which had been calling a much closer race. Massa conceded defeat shortly before the official results were published.[6][7]
A
right-wing libertarian who has also been described as a
far-right populist, Milei, who is a member of the
Libertarian Party, became the first libertarian president in Argentine history.[8] Observers generally saw Milei's win as a sign more of discontent with the status quo than support for his politics,[9] and his victory was likened to those of
Donald Trump in the United States and
Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.[10][11]
Planning
Security and counter-terrorism efforts
According to reports, the inauguration ceremony was heavily guarded with the mobilization of 7,000 security personnel. Drones were utilized as part of the security measures.[12]
Pre-inaugural events
After winning the election, Milei announced upcoming visits to the United States and Israel before taking the oath.[13] On 21 November, Milei met with the outgoing president
Alberto Fernández.[14] On 26 November, in an attempt to soften his image, Milei also invited the incumbent Brazilian president
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom he had insulted as a
communist and as someone he would not deal with during his campaign;[15] Lula declined the invite.[16] On 27 November, Milei visited the United States and prayed at the grave of the famous Orthodox rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994) in New York City.[17] On 28 November, Milei announced that four countries (
Cuba,
Iran,
Nicaragua, and
Venezuela) were not invited to his inauguration.[18]
Inaugural events
As is customary, Milei delivered a speech to the Argentine nation,[19][20] warning of an
economic shock, which has been described as
shock therapy in economic terms, to be used as a means to fix Argentina's economic woes,[21][22][23] with inflation rising to 200 percent.[24] He was accompanied to
Casa Rosada by his sister Karina, who also officially became the
First Lady of Argentina rather than Milei's partner
Fátima Flórez.[25][26]
Following the inauguration, Milei saw his popularity increase in public opinion. After the first governmental and economic reforms taken by the president and his ministers, 53% of the Argentine people had a very good and good image of the new head of state according to a popularity poll made by Aresco on 15 December.[27]
Guests
Over twenty national leaders and representatives attended Milei's inauguration.[28][29] Former United States president
Donald Trump indicated that he wanted to participate but did not do so for logistical reasons.[30] Hungarian prime minister
Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian president
Volodymyr Zelenskyy were seen having an argument during the presentation of Milei and Villarruel before the Senate, described the following day by Zelenskyy as a "frank talk".[31][32]
^Javier Ortega Smith [@Ortega_Smith] (9 December 2023).
"¡Vamos Argentina! ¡En pie! 🇦🇷" [Let's go Argentina! Standing! 🇦🇷] (
Tweet).
Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023 – via
Twitter.