Milei crushes Macri in Buenos Aires in their war for control of the right.

Javier Milei achieved a landslide victory this Sunday in his battle for control of the political right in Argentina . His party, La Libertad Avanza (LLA), crushed Pro, led by former president Mauricio Macri, in the legislative elections in the city of Buenos Aires. Municipal elections, which normally carry no relevance, turned into a do-or-die battle in which Macri emerged severely battered. His strength fell for the first time in 20 years in his electoral stronghold, from where he came to the presidency in 2015, and now faces a political defection of leaders that threatens his political survival. The difference in the result was enormous: Pro came in third with 16% of the vote, 14 points behind LLA and 11 points behind Peronism, which, despite being united behind a single candidate, had to settle for second place. The low turnout, 53% compared to 75% in 2023, was striking, despite the fact that voting is mandatory in Argentina.

Victory wasn't in the far right's plans, which had hoped, at best, to finish second. Milei's bet wasn't on winning, but on defeating Macri and making it clear that he now holds the baton of power among that broad sector of society identified primarily by its opposition to Peronism. With his traditional euphoria, the president immediately gave national significance to the result in Buenos Aires. "Today the bastion of yellow was painted violet, and from now on, the entire country will be painted violet," he said, alluding to the colors of the LLA and the Pro Party. Milei even canceled his trip to Rome to participate in Leo XIV's first official day in office just to be within reach of a possible celebration this Sunday.

The result leaves Milei in an unbeatable position to negotiate Macri's support in the October 26 legislative elections for national deputies and senators. The province of Buenos Aires, where the Peronist party governs, is the place to conquer. Milei and Macri had been negotiating for months a possible alliance in that district, which represents 40% of the national census, but the president managed to delay any decision until this Sunday's elections. Now that the strength of each side has become clear, Milei will impose her conditions.

Macri denounced this Sunday that the far right had played dirty. On the night before the elections, the president's social media channels broadcast a video created using artificial intelligence in which the former president announced that his candidate, Silvia Lospenatto, was withdrawing from the race and asked for votes for Manuel Adorni of LLA. The move included a fake front page in the newspaper La Nación with the news. "It's madness that breaks the rules of the game of democracy," Macri complained. At the time of voting, Milei called him a "crybaby" and considered the fake news an innocent joke. Just a few months ago, the far-right leader considered Macri "a friend" and asked him for advice. Now the rift is complete.

The city of Buenos Aires is violet, without a single yellow speck. Peronism, represented by Leandro Santoro, had a very good election, but had to deliberately hide former President Cristina Kirchner, whose image among the people of Buenos Aires was terrible. The biggest loser was the century-old Radical Civic Union (UCR), which fell to eighth place with a mere 2.3% of the vote.

In fourth place, with 8%, was Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, who was previously head of government in the capital and unsuccessfully sought to represent Pro as a presidential candidate against Milei in 2023. That spot ultimately went to Patricia Bullrich, who became a furious Milei supporter as Minister of Security after her defeat. “Gentlemen , tabula rasa . Anyone who supports our agenda is welcome,” said Adorni, Milei's man, after her victory.

The far right hopes that other Pro figures will follow in Bullrich's footsteps. Macri, however, doesn't seem so willing. "This can't be done, without any kind of respect," he warned this Sunday after the results were announced. "In January, Milei proposed a comprehensive agreement and I told her 'we're in.' The government overcame the crises thanks to Pro's support [in Congress] in exchange for nothing," he said. Macri feels underpaid.