Far-right candidate who wants to legalize organ selling wins Argentina's presidential primary
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Far-right libertarian candidate Javier Milei won Argentina's primary election on Sunday in a stunning rebuke of the country's two main political factions.
With 97% of the votes tabulated, Milei carried 30.4% of the vote, according to Bloomberg's polling results. In second place was the center-left UP Party's Sergio Massa with 21%, and in third place was the conservative JxC Party's Patricia Bullrich, who carried 16%. Milei's 30.4% is actually more than both opposition parties' totals, with the JxC candidates receiving a combined 28% and the UP candidates receiving a combined 27%.
The primary was the first major step toward the country's upcoming presidential election, which will take place on Oct. 22.
While seen as an outsider who was originally polling at just 20%, Milei's landslide primary victory proves that he "now has a clear shot at leading Argentina," The New York Times reported. This means that Argentina could become the latest country to see a shift towards the far-right, despite Milei's controversial political views.
An admirer of former President Donald Trump, Milei has advocated for abolishing Argentina's national bank and shifting the economy from the Argentine peso to a dollar-based system. He has also proposed closing state-owned businesses and shuttering a number of government ministries. He additionally made headlines when he floated legalizing the sale of human organs.
Milei's primary win is likely a direct result of Argentina's current economic and social woes. The country is on the brink of another recession and inflation is hovering around 114%, the third-highest in the world. Data compiled by The Economist shows that 43% of Argentines — more than four in ten people — are living in poverty. If Milei were to be elected, though, his party would have limited congressional support, meaning that "implementing [his] changes would lead to a major challenge," the Times reported.
