U.S. and Israeli officials joined others on Sunday in congratulating Argentina’s President Javier Milei on his party’s landslide victory in Sunday’s midterm elections.
Following drastic spending cuts and free-market reforms during the first two years of his presidency, Milei’s right-wing La Libertad Avanza party secured 41% of the vote.
Its pro-American, pro-Israeli foreign relations policy contrasts with the Socialist governments of Latin America’s other major powers. Milei’s party took 13 of 24 Senate seats and 64 of the 127 lower-house seats that were contested, nearly doubling its share in both.
The result is a vote of confidence in Milei’s plans to further slash state spending and deregulate the economy.
U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Milei on social media, saying: “He’s making us all look good.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote on X: “Congratulations to President Milei, on his decisive victory in Argentina’s congressional elections. This is a clear vote of confidence in his vision for the future of the country. I look forward to deepening the partnership between Israel and Argentina, grounded in our shared values of freedom and democracy.”
Before the midterm elections, the opposition had overturned several of Milei’s vetoes on spending, including of increases in funding for state universities, the disabled and children’s healthcare.
