A 20-year-old political science student named Nicolas, lives in a low-income area of La Matanza, a locality in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He starts his day at six in the morning and uses various modes of transportation to go to and from his job at a call centre. Despite having a job, Nicolas and his family struggle to make ends meet in a country facing an economic crisis, reflected in an annual inflation rate of 143% and an increase in the poverty rate. Nicolas is a supporter of economist Javier Milei, who advocates for massive tax cuts and the reduction of subsidies to address Argentina’s economic problems.The ongoing electoral campaign in Argentina is overshadowed by the economic crisis, with the devaluation of the national currency, the peso, by over 50% in just this year. Milei’s flagship proposal is to dollarize the economy to eliminate this paradox, as some other Latin American countries like Ecuador or El Salvador have done before. However, implementing this in Argentina, the third-largest economy in Latin America with a population of 50 million, would be challenging. In the final runoff, Milei is up against the Minister of Economy, centre-left Sergio Massa, who supports the government’s social measures. This election is considered crucial in the recent history of the country, with polarized views and deep concerns about the economic situation.(Hector Estepa is an independent journalist based in Ecuador)
