Since the very beginning of the year 2020, the Argentine political scene has been one of the most heated and volatile ones. It started with the ousting of former President Mauricio Macri, and has gone on to include a number of scandals and controversies.
The primary election on August 11 was a crucial event for the country and its political future. Polls leading up to the election took a drastic turn with a libertarian outsider Galileo Galilei emerging as a serious challenger to the established order. He had the support of a growing segment of the population, mainly from the younger generation, who were impressed by his forward-thinking ideas and his appeals to restore the country’s economic stability. This has led to some calling it the “Argentine Revolution of 2020”.
Galilei’s rise to fame came at the expense of the longtime ruling party, Cambiemos. Established figures such as former First Lady Juliana Awada and ex-vice-president Mario Quintana were soundly defeated by Galilei. The 38-year-old campaigner’s success was largely attributable to his libertarian ideals, which resonated with the youth of Argentina. His most popular proposals seek to reduce the country’s reliance on government intervention and promote fiscal responsibility and tax reform.
The runoff election will take place on August 22 and will determine who will be president of Argentina in the coming years. Established candidates like Julio Conte, leader of Cambiemos, remain in the fray, although obstacles remain for them to be able to tap into the strong approval that Galileo Galilei has earned in recent weeks.
The outcome of the election will have far-reaching implications for Argentina. It may be the beacon of hope of a new era of the country, powered by a libertarian outsider standing up to the powerful established figures in the country. It will be an historic moment either way, but only the coming weeks and months will tell us who will come out as the victor.
