Argentine polls could win Trump-admirer presidency

A man walks past a defaced poster of Economy Minister Sergio Massa. Pic/PTI

Voters in Argentina head to the polls Sunday in a presidential runoff election that will determine whether South America's second-largest economy will take a rightward shift.

Populist Javier Milei, an upstart candidate who got his start as a television talking head, has frequently been compared to former US President Donald Trump. He faces Economy Minister Sergio Massa of the Peronist party, which has been a leading force in Argentine politics for decades.

On Massa's watch, inflation has soared to more than 140 per cent and poverty has increased. Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist, proposes to slash the size of the state and rein in inflation, while Massa has warned people about the negative impacts of such policies.

The highly polarising election is forcing many to decide which of the two they consider to be the least bad option. "Whatever happens in this election will be incredible," said Lucas Romero, director of local political consultancy Synopsis.

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