Argentina’s political landscape was jolted on September 7, 2025, when President Javier Milei’s libertarian La Libertad Avanza (LLA) party suffered a resounding defeat in the Buenos Aires provincial elections. The vote, widely regarded as a crucial bellwether ahead of next month’s midterms, saw the center-left Peronist opposition trounce Milei’s party by a 13-point margin—capturing over 47 percent of the vote to LLA’s 34 percent, according to official results reported by France 24 and corroborated by multiple outlets.
The defeat dealt a significant blow to Milei’s government, which has governed with a radical economic agenda since December 2023. The president, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist,” has led a major deregulation drive, slashed public spending, and dismissed tens of thousands of public employees. His “chainsaw” approach to the state—meant to address Argentina’s chronic fiscal woes—has sparked both fervent support and fierce opposition across the country.
At La Libertad Avanza’s party bunker in Gonnet, La Plata, a subdued Milei addressed supporters and the nation. “Let’s be clear: Politically speaking, we have suffered a clear defeat, and we must accept the result,” he said, as quoted by the Buenos Aires Times. “If anyone wants to start rebuilding and moving forward, the first thing to do is accept the results. Today they have not been positive. We had an electoral setback and we have to accept it.”
His party’s candidate, Diego Valenzuela, managed to win just two of Buenos Aires province’s eight electoral districts, finishing far behind Peronist Gabriel Katopodis, who secured 47.4 percent of the vote. The province is not just Argentina’s political heartland; it is home to 40 percent of the electorate and generates a third of the country’s GDP, making this contest a pivotal test for Milei’s administration.
With Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos notably absent, Milei appeared on stage alongside several top officials and ministers, including Mariano Cúneo Libarona, Federico Sturzenegger, Luis Petri, Santiago Caputo, Mario Lugones, Patricia Bullrich, Karina Milei, Manuel Adorni, Eduardo ‘Lule’ Menem, and Martín Menem. Notably missing was online influencer Daniel Parisini (“Gordo Dan”), following a public dispute with Senator Luis Juez over Milei’s veto of the Disability Emergency Law—a move that would later be overturned by Congress just days before the election, as reported by FRANCE 24.
The election’s outcome was described by provincial governors as a wake-up call. Nacho Torres, governor of Chubut, called it “a wake-up call from the citizenry,” while the governor of Santa Fe warned, “People no longer want more shouting; they want facts. We Argentines want to grow and develop with security and in peace.” These sentiments echoed widespread frustration with Milei’s deep austerity measures, which have yet to deliver the economic revival many hoped for despite some success in reducing Argentina’s triple-digit inflation.
Unemployment figures remain at their highest since 2021, and the population has not seen the promised turnaround. The government has also been rocked by a corruption scandal involving Milei’s sister and close confidante, Karina Milei, at the National Disability Agency. The public’s anger was palpable—Milei and his sister were pelted with stones during campaign events in late August, and the scandal’s fallout was seen as a contributing factor to the election loss.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the influential former Peronist president who remains a key political player despite a corruption conviction and house arrest, did not miss the chance to gloat on social media. “Get out of your bubble, brother … things are getting heavy,” she wrote, as reported by AP. Her protégé, Axel Kicillof, the governor of Buenos Aires province and a fierce critic of Milei, delivered a buoyant victory speech. “The ballot boxes told Milei that public works cannot be halted. They explained to him that retirees cannot be beaten, that people with disabilities cannot be abandoned,” Kicillof declared to cheering crowds.
Despite the defeat, Milei remained defiant. “Beyond the electoral result, I want to tell all Argentines that the course for which we were elected in 2023 will not be altered, but doubled down on,” he stressed, according to the Buenos Aires Times. “We will continue to defend fiscal balance tooth and nail, maintaining strict monetary restraint and the exchange rate system we committed to with Argentines.” He also promised to “double efforts in our deregulation and Human Capital policy. Also in our Defence policy, and in fighting insecurity. We will also maintain reforms related to Argentina’s legal framework through the Justice Ministry and continue the strong work of Minister [Mario] Lugones at the Health Ministry.”
On foreign policy, Milei pledged to “continue to uphold our position in the world. We will remain on the side of good and deepen our global ties. There will be no retreat, not a millimetre.” He quoted Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal – It is the courage to continue that counts.” The president concluded with a familiar refrain: “We will continue embracing the ideas of liberty and we will make Argentina great again.”
While some members of Milei’s party tried to downplay the defeat by noting an increase in LLA’s share of legislators in Buenos Aires, the 13-point gap between the parties was much wider than most opinion polls had predicted. Voter turnout was robust, at around 63 percent, reflecting the high stakes and intense public interest in the contest.
Political analysts, such as Juan Cruz Díaz of the Cefeidas Group consultancy, told AP that the Buenos Aires election is a “key data point to understand the social mood — where the opposition stands, the state of Peronism and the level of support for the government in Argentina’s most important electoral district.” The results, he said, are a “wake-up call for the government, and how it reacts will be crucial to understanding the evolving political map.”
As Argentina heads toward its national legislative elections on October 26, the question remains: will Milei’s promise to “accelerate” his reforms rally his base, or will the mounting social and economic discontent further erode his support? The answer may well determine the future direction of Argentina’s turbulent politics.