On the upcoming Sunday, November 19th, Argentina will hold the second round of the presidential election, which will determine the next president. The contenders are the Peronist and current Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, facing off against the far-right candidate, Javier Milei. On Sunday, October 29th, the National Convention of the Nuevo MAS, Trotskyist party in Argentina, gathered to discuss their position regarding the runoff, and the party’s national representative, Manuela Castañeira, unveiled the resolution that was voted on:
“We call not to vote for Milei. Additionally, we do not offer any political support to Massa, and, except for Milei, we encourage voters to choose their option freely. We stand against a potential National Unity government led by Massa, we’re against economic austerity, and in defense of democratic freedoms and the organization of the exploited and oppressed. We advocate for an anticapitalist solution to the crisis and for left-wing unity that goes beyond elections, serving as a tool to prepare for the upcoming struggles, in any scenario.”
Comparto la resolución de la Convención Nacional del Nuevo MAS en relación al balotaje del 19 de noviembre: “Llamamos a no votar a Milei. Asimismo, no le damos ningún apoyo político a Massa y que, salvo a Milei, los votantes elijan libremente su opción. Nos posicionamos contra un…
— Manuela Castañeira (@ManuelaC22) October 29, 2023
On October 22nd, the general election took place in the country, determining the two candidates who will go to the runoff: Sergio Massa with 36.8% of the votes and Javier Milei with 30%. This marked a significant comeback for the Minister of Economy, primarily supported by the votes of millions of workers who voted against Milei. As soon as the election results were known, Manuela Castañeira stated:
«Workers opted to vote for Massa against Milei. It is not a vote in support of the UxP [Union for the Homeland] candidate and his austerity measures, but a vote against the attack on the social and democratic rights represented by the far-right candidate.»
She added, “We salute a vote built from the working class and not from political machines. However, the election is not yet decided: the runoff is open. The task at hand is to take to the streets against the far-right and against austerity. It’ll not be on the electoral campaign where the defense of the workers rights, feminism and youth rights will be held. The task is to build an anticapitalist solution and a left that meets the challenges, not just in elections but in grassroots organization and in the struggle of the majority of society.”
In the primary elections, the far-right candidate Javier Milei had finished in first place with 30% of the votes, followed by Patricia Bullrich (the candidate who won the party’s internal election). Her coalition, “Juntos por el Cambio” [Together for Change], the traditional right-wing opposition, obtained a total of 28%. In third place was Sergio Massa, the official candidate of “Unión por la Patria” (who also won his internal election comfortably), garnering a total of 27%.
