Milei has been hit hard in the election, and Peronism led by Axel Kicillof has been revived

Argentina's President Javier Milei's party this Sunday suffered a severe defeat in the legislative elections in the province of Buenos Aires in the face of the revived Peronism by Governor Axel Kicillof.

La Libertad Avanza, the far-right party led by Milei, won almost 34% of the vote and was crushed by the Peronist list Fuerza Patria, with more than 47%of the votes gathered .

The difference between the two sides was much greater than all the polls had predicted. However, they foresaw the victory of Fuerza Patria, which has been a fortress in Buenos Aires for years. It is also a key district at the national level, with almost 40% of the total population .

Shortly after the result was known, Milei took the floor in an almost empty bunker, and though he declared that Peronism would be a fraud in the run-up to the election, he admitted defeat: "Today we have had a clear failure, and if anyone wants to start rebuilding and moving forward, the first thing to accept is the results."

In a drier and slower tone than usual, the President said that this result requires deep self-criticism and called for work to begin in the run-up to the national elections on 26 October, when part of the Argentine Parliament will be renewed.

However, he remained steadfast on the path he took when he was elected President in December 2023: "There is not a single millimeter back in government policy. Not only will we confirm the course, but we will speed it up and deepen it further. "

Kicillof, former Finance Minister of Cristina Fernández, who has ruled the province of Buenos Aires since 2019, said: "This shows that there isanother wayin Argentina, , and today we are going to start doing that. "

"The ballot boxes, the votes, have sent a message to the president," Kicillof stressed before adding that the government should "straighten the course."