Milei triumphs in midterm elections and can continue his reforms

The party of Argentine President Javier Milei won Sunday's midterm elections with 40.8 percent of the vote for the lower house. The Peronist opposition received 24.5 percent after more than 90 percent of the votes were counted. Milei's party thus received 64 seats, while the Peronists received 31.

The result is considered a clear victory for Milei. His party, along with its allies, needs 86 seats in the lower house to prevent the opposition from overriding a presidential veto.

Voters have thus clearly declared their support for President Javier Milei's drastic reform course. Milei himself cast his ballot in Buenos Aires. Voters in these midterm elections will determine almost half of the 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and one-third of the 72 seats in the Senate. Naturally, they were also seen as a test of the public's support for Milei's radical austerity policies since taking office almost two years ago.

Upon arriving at the polling station in Argentina's capital, Milei was greeted by cheering supporters. Wearing his trademark leather jacket, the president cast his ballot without answering reporters' questions. 36 million Argentinians were eligible to vote.

The ultra-liberal Milei hoped to gain a few seats and thus stabilize the government. Currently, his party, La Libertad Avanza (LLA), holds only 37 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and six in the Senate. Milei is counting on securing a third of the seats in the chambers after the elections to block opposition legislation. Experts hadn't expected such a result.