The 'chainsaw' candidate challenging Argentina's left and right

Analysis by Stefano Pozzebon and Ivan Perez Sarmenti, CNN
Published 12:06 AM EDT, Sun October 1, 2023



Presidential hopeful of the Liberty Advances coalition Javier Milei brandishes a chainsaw during a rally in La Plata, Argentina, on Sept. 12.


Natacha Pisarenko/AP
CNN

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Carried by a wave of shouting supporters and wielding a chainsaw at the open sky, the man of the hour approached center stage. He looked around and angrily screamed “Chainsaw! Chainsaw!” – a war cry quickly picked up by his supporters calling for carnage. All around him, shouts, chants, and traffic horns blasting loud.

This was not a WWE wrestling show, but the 2023 presidential race in Argentina where political outsider Javier Milei is the leading candidate. His repeated appearances wielding a chainsaw at campaign stops – as he did at the rally described above in the seaside city of Mar del Plata on September 12 – symbolize promises to drastically cut government expenses, eliminate public subsidies and “break up with the status quo.”

Milei, an economist and former political commentator, surprised Argentina’s political scene in August, when he won the largest share of a coalition primary vote that most observers consider indicative of the upcoming presidential contest, set for October 22.

Argentine politics have largely been dominated by the same groups for the past 20 years, and Milei represents a new outside force that is aggressively targeting traditional powerbrokers on both sides of the aisle. It’s a familiar tale that draws comparisons to the rise of other far-right stars like former US President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

More:
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/01/americas/chainsaw-candidate-argentina-javier-milei-hnk-intl/index.html