What Latin American leaders have said about Javier Milei’s victory in Argentina

Argentina chose the economist Javier Milei to give a radical change to the political history of the country.

His “miraculous” victory, as he himself described the fact that there was a “liberal and libertarian” president, the first in the history of humanity, put an end to the dominance of the traditional political forces at the polls.

LOOK: What is the Austrian School from which Javier Milei is inspired and how does it influence his radical economic ideas?

Milei far surpassed Sergio Massa, who acknowledged defeat even before the official results were known, giving rise to scenes of joy from the president-elect’s supporters in different parts of the country.

From abroad, most Latin American leaders have commented on the election of who will be the first economist to be president of Argentina as of December 10.

These were their reactions on platform X (formerly known as Twitter) on an election day that took place peacefully.

Relationships and cooperation

• Luis Inácio “Lula” da Silva, president of Brazil

“Democracy is the voice of the people and must always be respected.

My congratulations to the Argentine institutions for conducting the electoral process and to the Argentine people who participated in the election day in an orderly and peaceful manner.

I wish luck and success to the new Government. Argentina is a great country and deserves all our respect.

Brazil will always be available to work alongside our Argentine brothers and sisters.”

• Luis Lacalle Poe, president of Uruguay

“I greet the president-elect @JMilei. We have a lot to work together and to improve our bilateral relations”

• Santiago Peña, president of Paraguay

“I greet the brother people of Argentina on behalf of the Paraguayan people, for an exemplary election day.

I congratulate @JMilei for his victory and offer the cordial and fraternal hand of Paraguay to strengthen relations between our countries. To the Argentine people, cheers!

• Gabriel Boric, president of Chile

“Today the Argentine people had a democratic day to elect their President for the next four years.

I salute Javier Milei for his victory and Sergio Massa for his worthy recognition of defeat.

I wish the Argentine people the best and know that they will always have our respect and support.

As President of Chile, I will work tirelessly to keep our sister nations united and collaborating for the well-being of all.”

• Luis Arce, president of Bolivia

“The Plurinational State of #Bolivia will always be respectful of the democratic will of our people.

We wish prosperity to the brother people of #Argentina and success to its elected president, Javier Milei.

“We will work so that the relations between our peoples remain firm as before, based on brotherhood, complementarity and mutual respect.”

• Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia

“The extreme right has won in Argentina; It is the decision of your society. Sad for Latin America and we’ll see… neoliberalism no longer has a proposal for society, it cannot respond to humanity’s current problems,” said the Colombian president in his first reaction.

“The relations between Colombia and Argentina, the ties between their peoples will be maintained in mutual respect. I congratulate Milei. And we expect from the progressive Argentine the assessments that allow the Latin American people to learn from the lessons of history,” she added 20 minutes later.

• Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador

“Now say it without crying,” was Bukele’s reaction to Petro’s first message.

• Guillermo Lasso, president of Ecuador

“Argentines have elected @JMIlei as their new president in a democratic process.

The government of Ecuador congratulates the elected president and wishes him the greatest success, so that he can solve the pressing problems of his country and make the most appropriate decisions that improve the quality of life of Argentines.

Congratulations to the democracies of Latin America.”

• Daniel Noboa, elected president of Ecuador

“I congratulate @JMilei for his victory in the elections of the sister Republic of Argentina where its citizens lived a democratic and transparent day in which their will was expressed.

“I invite you to work to strengthen bilateral relations and for a prosperous future that seeks cooperation between our nations.”

“Peru expresses its warm congratulations to @JMilei for his election as president of the Argentine Republic.

By wishing him the greatest success in his administration, he renews his commitment to continue strengthening the historic ties of friendship and cooperation that unite our countries.

Likewise, Peru salutes the democratic vocation expressed by the Argentine people on this successful election day, and wishes for their progress and well-being.”

• Laurentino Cortizo, president of Panama

“I congratulate the Argentine People on the election of their new president @JMilei.

I wish you success in this stage and I trust that, through cooperation, we will continue to strengthen relations between both countries and we will work together for the well-being of our people.” [êxitoenestaetapayconfíoenqueatravésdelacooperaciónseguiremosfortaleciendolasrelacionesentreambospaísesytrabajaremosjuntosporelbienestardenuestrospueblos”

• Alejandro Giammattei, president of Guatemala

“My most sincere congratulations to the Argentine people for the democratic election of the new president @JMilei.

From Guatemala we send you the best wishes for your management, which will be beneficial for Argentina and I know that the bilateral relationship will be strengthened in the years to come.

• Xiomara Castro, president of Honduras

“I will assume the presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in 2024. In addition, I congratulate @JMilei for his victory as the new president of Argentina.”