
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — In a stunning outcome that few would have predicted even just a few months ago, libertarian economist and former soccer player Javier Milei was elected Argentina’s president, a result that in many ways can be seen as a referendum on the political and social agenda of Pope Francis in his home nation.
Milei, 53, won a resounding victory on Sunday with nearly 56% of the vote in a runoff against Sergio Massa. Milei, a Catholic, won the highest percentage of a vote in a presidential election since the South American nation returned to democracy in 1983.