Hello, and welcome to the Latin America Weekly newsletter! In this issue: What happens in Argentina following the midterm elections; Frida breaks records; Chile in NATO v. China feud; and protests in Cuba.
Midterms done, Argentina turns to IMF debt
The results of Argentina’s midterm elections on Sunday did not come as a surprise, but their consequences will still be significant. The opposition’s comfortable win nationwide over the ruling center-left coalition will put an end to Peronism’s dominance over the Senate for the first time in Argentina’s democratic history.
The results. The center-right Juntos coalition took 42 percent of the vote, versus 34 percent for the ruling coalition.
Big picture. The result was a marginal improvement for President Alberto Fernández when compared to September primaries, but still a disaster. As a sign of how far Kirchnerism has fallen, the Kirchner family’s home province of Santa Cruz saw the government’s candidates finishing third.
- Meanwhile, far-right candidate Javier Milei put his libertarian coalition on the political map, winning 17 percent of the vote in Buenos Aires city — a platform likely to be used to launch a nationwide movement.
- We explained who he is and why you should keep an eye...