BUENOS AIRES (Realist English). President Javier Milei on Sunday pledged to “accelerate” his libertarian reform programme after suffering a heavy defeat to the centre-left Peronist movement in elections in Buenos Aires Province, a key bellwether ahead of next month’s midterms.
Speaking at La Libertad Avanza’s headquarters in Gonnet, La Plata, Milei openly acknowledged his party’s “clear defeat.” His alliance won just 33 percent of the vote, compared with 47 percent for Peronism. “Politically speaking, we have suffered a clear defeat, and we must accept the result,” he told supporters. “If anyone wants to rebuild and move forward, the first step is to accept reality. The outcome was not positive, but we must face it.”
The president, who has implemented sweeping spending cuts since taking office in December 2023, appeared alongside senior officials and ministers including Mariano Cúneo Libarona, Federico Sturzenegger, Luis Petri, Santiago Caputo, Patricia Bullrich, and his sister Karina Milei. Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos was notably absent, while online influencer Daniel Parisini, known as “Gordo Dan,” was sidelined after a public dispute with Senator Luis Juez.
Milei accused Peronism of deploying its full electoral machinery, which he said has dominated Buenos Aires for “more than 40 years.” But he insisted that his movement would build from its current base. “This is the floor for us and the ceiling for them,” he declared, setting his sights on the October 26 legislative elections.
Despite the setback, Milei doubled down on his economic agenda: “The course for which we were elected in 2023 will not be altered, but intensified. We will defend fiscal balance, monetary restraint, and the exchange system tooth and nail.” He also promised to push ahead with deregulation, defence and security reforms, judicial changes, and continued efforts in health policy under Minister Mario Lugones.
On foreign policy, the president vowed to uphold Argentina’s alignment with “the side of good” and to strengthen global ties without concessions. Quoting Winston Churchill, he concluded: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal – it is the courage to continue that counts. We will embrace the ideas of liberty and make Argentina great again.”
