High stakes for Javier Milei as Argentina's midterms loom

"A string of high-level scandals, coupled with a stalling economy and eroding approval ratings, are threatening President Javier Milei's hopes for Argentina's midterm elections. On October 26, Argentina will head to the polls to elect half of its Chamber of Deputies and a third of its upper house, the Senate. Currently, both chambers are controlled by the left-wing and centrist opposition to Milei's far-right party, La Libertad Avanza."

"The government is looking to get a third of Congress to build a legislative shield,'" said Andres Malamud, a senior research fellow at the University of Lisbon's Institute of Social Sciences. That number of seats, Malamud explained, will prevent the opposition from forming a supermajority to override Milei's vetoes. It would also allow for Milei "to govern without a majority, for his decrees not to be challenged, and protect him from a potential impeachment in the future"."

High-level scandals, a stalling economy, and eroding approval ratings threaten President Javier Milei's prospects ahead of Argentina's October 26 midterm elections. Voters will elect half of the Chamber of Deputies and a third of the Senate, where opposition forces currently control both chambers. Winning roughly a third of congressional seats would block an opposition supermajority, prevent veto overrides, enable governance without a majority, and reduce impeachment risk. Economic stabilisation has occurred through reductions in public spending, but visible recovery has not materialised for many voters, weakening the public support that initially empowered Milei. Midterms will determine legislative capacity for the remainder of the term.

Read at www.aljazeera.com