The Guardian view on Argentina’s presidential election: the danger to democracy is real | Editorial

Public spending hikes and pro-poor tax cuts might fix the economy and be popular enough to stop the far right

With poverty rising, a recession approaching and annual inflation topping 120% in Argentina, it is unsurprising that voters are fed up. They would be forgiven for wanting change in the upcoming presidential election. However, voting for a far-right candidate, Javier Milei, would be a serious mistake. Mr Milei admires Donald Trump, trades in misogyny and says the outrageous to get noticed. Despite what Mr Milei claims, the Pope is not an emissary of the evil one" nor is the climate crisis a socialist lie".

After winning Argentina's primary election this summer, Mr Milei is, depressingly, in pole position to clinch the presidency. His pitch is that Argentina's interventionist, welfarist economic model has failed. Mr Milei is a fan of the free market missionary Milton Friedman. He thinks inflation results from too much of the Argentinian currency, the peso, being in circulation. Mr Milei's solution is to shrink the state and replace the peso with the dollar. Friedman's ideas have been debunked. But they are held with religious fervour by adherents such as Mr Milei.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.