Macri, the other winner of the Argentine elections after betting on Milei

Buenos Aires, Nov 20 (EFE).- Former Argentine president Mauricio Macri (2015-2019) was the other big winner of the Argentine elections after betting on the far-right Javier Milei, who was elected president in the second round held this Sunday.

Now that Milei won the elections, Macri "is going to try to become the great architect" of his Government, political scientist Carlos Fara tells EFE, which "is going to bring conflicts" because the libertarian "is not going to allow himself to be taken over." the Executive, since he is a man "of personality, vehement."

Macri is a member of the Together for Change (center-right) coalition, which had Patricia Bullrich as its candidate for president, but on October 22 she was left out of this Sunday's runoff. Both leaders immediately promoted the "Acassuso pact", in reference to the unilateral support for Milei's candidacy forged in the house that the former president has in that town.

For Macri, Milei's triumph is "a philosophical victory, a cultural victory," because the elected ruler represents the liberal and anti-populist ideas that he defends. In fact, the former president flirted at some point with the idea of ​​integrating him into his coalition.

Precisely because "his ideas won," Macri "needs Milei to do well," says Fara, because it will be difficult for him to support a Government that makes decisions outside of his standards or that do not work.

The former president supported Milei because he considered that society and, especially young people, had chosen the ultraliberal economist to lead the change that Argentina needs.

"We wanted to lead the change that Argentina needs, but it was not enough for us. A mix of our own mistakes and Milei's virtues built a different scene," was Macri's last message on social networks before yesterday's vote.

"The youngest made the decision to choose Milei to lead the change," "so now, with humility, we have to recognize that will and support it. We can push this change that has a different name and contribute our experience, our calm and our desire," he proposed.

This support attempts to "moderate" an eccentric candidate, who during the electoral campaign walked around with a chainsaw to illustrate his promise to cut public spending, who promised to eliminate the Central Bank and dollarize the economy, and who has been called "crazy." " for his temperamental reactions.

Milei accepted Macri's collaboration and it was then that the former president contributed a governability factor to a personalist force, without structure or organization, which has few deputies and senators, and which also lacks professionals to occupy the ministries.

"(Macri) had to support to give guidance to his own public, but at the same time he could not have a high role so as not to overshadow the figure of Milei," says Fara, alluding to the hypothesis of a double command. "He was reasonable," because he did not "star in the campaign, (but) he was supportive."

The support strategy of Macri and Bullrich allowed part of the 6.2 million votes that the losing political coalition Together for Change had received in the first round of the presidential elections to be redirected to Milei.

Now a rearrangement of the internal forces of Together for Change and the bench in Deputies and the Senate of both forces is expected.

The conservative coalition was already on the verge of breaking up, because leaders of the other parties that make up it, such as the Unión Cívica Radical (UCR) and the Civic Coalition (CC), strongly criticized Macri's support for La Libertad Avanza and called for declare themselves neutral in this second round.

Milei always treated Macri with respect, of whom he even said that he would like to see him occupy a diplomatic position in a possible government of his. Unlike what he did with the Radical Civic Union and the Civic Coalition and, even, with the former radical president Raúl Alfonsín (1983-1989), now deceased and considered the father of democracy of which the country now celebrates 40 uninterrupted years of exercise.

Another reason that motivated Macri to support Milei was to prevent the current Minister of Economy and candidate of the ruling party, Sergio Massa, from reaching the Argentine Presidency.

Because Macri sees in Massa "a dark, arrogant, mafia-like and corporate way of doing politics that has trapped Argentina, not just now, but for a long time."

Veronica Dalto