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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro and Facundo Iglesia in Buenos Aires

Argentina holds breath as far-right Milei seizes narrow runoff advantage

Supporters of Sergio Massa hold posters of their candidate in front of an image of Milei in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires province.
Supporters of Sergio Massa hold posters of their candidate in front of an image of Milei in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires province. Photograph: Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images

Argentina is teetering on the brink of an unpredictable new political era this weekend with an erratic far-right populist known as “El Loco” (the Madman) the slight favourite to become president of South America’s second-largest economy in Sunday’s election.

As polls opened on Sunday morning against a backdrop of soaring inflation and widespread poverty, analysts believed Javier Milei, a TV celebrity turned congressman, held a slender advantage over his rival, the finance minister, Sergio Massa, but said the result was too close to call.

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