Brazilian Left Leader Voices Regret Over Milei’s Election as Argentina’s President

The election of libertarian Javier Milei to the presidency of Argentina has come as a disappointment to the Brazilian left, who had hoped to continue their close relationship with the country’s current president, Alberto Fernández. However, Milei won by a wide margin over the Peronist candidate Sergio Massa, despite the support given by the Brazilian left to Massa’s campaign.

The Brazilian PT had sent marketers to reinforce Massa’s electoral campaign and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in financing business from Brazilian businesspeople to Argentines. However, these efforts did not have the expected effects and Milei emerged victorious.

Gleisi Hoffmann, the national president of the PT, confirmed that the party supported Massa in the electoral campaign and recognized Milei’s victory. She classified his election as a “new and very tough test for its democracy”.

Lula wished “good luck” to the elected libertarian but did not nominate him in his first demonstration shortly after his victory was confirmed. It is expected that Lula will call Milei, although the appointment has not yet been scheduled.

Some members of the PT warned that Milei’s election serves as a “warning” to Brazil and that the extreme right is on the rise globally. They believe that Argentina’s election of a libertarian will have negative consequences for the country and the region. However, another PT member sought to avoid a tone of defeat for the left and made a supposed comparison with the 2022 Brazilian presidential election.

Despite this disappointment, it is clear that