\n\n“Hern\u00e1n Stuchi, a 29-year-old food delivery driver in greater Buenos Aires, grew up as a left-wing activist. During this year\u2019s presidential election in Argentina, he told Vox he would make a starkly different choice, and back Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian trumpeting socially conservative culture war issues and explosive proposals to reshape Argentine society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a kind of innocence,\u201d he said in October, discussing his previous support for left-wing leaders. \u201cIt\u2019s not like us poor people ever stopped being poor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the polls this fall, Stuchi wasfar from alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Milei shocked the country<\/a> when he topped Argentina\u2019s two main political forces in primary elections in August<\/a>. Now, he\u2019s defeated Sergio Massa<\/a>, a left-wing establishment candidate, in a runoff election. According to provisional results, he won about 55 percent of the vote. A main fount of that support is, surprisingly, young people \u2014 and young men in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahead of a previous round of voting in October, polls indicatedalmost 50 percent <\/a>of voters 29 and younger backed Milei, the wild-haired outsider and self-described \u201canarcho-capitalist\u201d who inveighs against traditional politicians, branding them as members of a \u201ccaste\u201d that must be done away with. (His campaign slogan, \u201cque se vayan todos,\u201d or \u201cget rid of them all,\u201d carries echoes of the Trumpian<\/a> \u201cdrain the swamp.\u201d) A win by Milei\u2019s ascendant campaign in Argentina in some ways serves as yet another indicator of the far right\u2019s rise across the Americas<\/a> and around the world<\/a>. But young voters\u2019 support sets Milei apart from the far-right stars he is often compared with, including Trump and Brazil\u2019s Jair Bolsonaro, both of whom<\/a> were shut out by young voters<\/a> in their recent reelection bids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With over 100 percent inflation crushing Argentine pocketbooks, Milei\u2019s proposed solution is a radical plan to abolish the central bank and dollarize the economy<\/a> by replacing the Argentine peso with the US dollar \u2014 a move untested by countries of Argentina\u2019s scale. He has voiced support for other extreme positions, including liberalizing gun ownership and individuals\u2019 freedom to sell their organs. He denies human-caused climate change<\/a> and opposes abortion<\/a>. At rallies, he can often be seen wielding<\/a> a chainsaw<\/a>, symbolizing his plan to slash public spending and unravel Argentina\u2019s generous safety nets. In Milei\u2019s view, the state should largely limit itself to homeland security: To that end, he has pledged to axe<\/a> the ministries of education; environment; and women, gender, and diversity, among others.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n