Three days after an election that turned Argentine society upside down, three women sunbathed with their backs in the Río de la Plata in the exclusive Vicente Lopez area, on the northern outskirts of Buenos Aires. In that area of ​​the province, right-wing extremist Javier Miley received 62% of the votes. The same thing happened in the so-called Northern Corridor, the most luxurious area of ​​​​the Argentine capital and the neighboring province, covering the neighborhoods and districts of Recoleta, Palermo, Belgrano and Nuñez to Olivos and San Isidro. A large portion of the wealthy live there in a country where the poverty rate is about 40%.

“I support the army,” says one woman, trying to get comfortable in her chair.

“You look.” “I didn’t know,” Marta jumped in, the only one of the three who wanted to talk openly about her vote.

“Yes, my father-in-law was a close friend of Fidella.”

Martha, no. She, unlike her surroundings, voted for Sergio Massa, the Peronist candidate and current Minister of Economy. “I have a historical memory. I am an extremist, how can I vote for someone who denies or criticizes the dictatorship.” [Raúl] Alfonsin, who brought us democracy.” Marta speaks of other concerns: that Miley will complicate the rest of life for retirees like her; This puts an end to the right to abortion, and the denial of the vice president chosen by Miley, Victoria Villarroel.

In such chairs, at tables in thousands of Argentine homes, and in the streets, such discussions are taking place these days. Even in places like the Northern Territory where the vote seems to be for Miley.

There is a traditional voter from the Proposition Republicano (PRO), the party of Mauricio Macri and Patricia Bullrich, who was orphaned when she left the electoral race and who will never vote for Peronism. Lisandro Varela is one of those voters from years ago. He is the creator of the portal 50- Argentines say; He defines himself as a populist liberal and was press officer for former Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo, the godfather of the convertibility of the peso to the dollar during the Peronist government of Carlos Menem. “Partly, Miley is the boss because of PRO’s lack of visibility in the last eight years. He was too immersed in the internal competition and didn’t talk much to people,” Varela says.

He says this in Tabac, the bar usually frequented by the mayor of Buenos Aires and former presidential candidate Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, the most exclusive sector of the public prosecutor’s office. Located in the middle of one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the Argentine capital, surrounded by parks, museums, embassies and ancient palaces, Al Tabac is characterized by its strong opposition to Peronism. Varela voted for Bullrich in the first round, then “overcame some fears” and voted for Miley. I was afraid that he lacked the structure to face the brutal opposition that Peronism would mount. Argentina needs providential leadership. For one natural“We’re not here,” he says while explaining that it’s not just the customers.com. chetosIn reference to the rich, vote for Millie; And so are the waiters, those in the kitchen, and those working in the place, as one of them proudly confirms.

Doubts about the electorate’s hot-tempered character were one of the issues that frightened many of the party’s original supporters, but in the final weeks of the campaign, Miley, on the advice of former President Macri, began to appear calmer. It ended in defeat, although the hatred of many of them for Peronism was enough. “The majority of people vote so that the other does not remain. Not because I like this person who has never ruled,” says Maria Luisa, 86, as she walks through the streets of Olivos, near the presidential residence. She was also left an orphan after Bullrich’s defeat – In the general election the Loyalist party candidate received 49% of the vote in the northern aisle, while Miley received 20.16%, and his vote migrated to the far right, as did many people his age across the country. “I voted for Macri [que ganó en 2015 y perdió la reelección en 2019] But these people [el peronismo] I take it out. Bullrich lost and I had no choice, how would I vote for them, impossible. “Now everything is a surprise.”

Vicente López is closely following Miley’s news. The last thing on TV is that Joe Biden, the President of the United States, has called him. Many breathed a sigh of relief. It is almost impossible to find traces of the campaign, as there were no posters, advertisements or promotions; There, voting was internal, and was not limited to the rich.

Mary Luz, owner of an office supply store in the area’s commercial district, says she is “apolitical.” She is 70 years old and retired, but she needs to continue working, and she confirms that she did not vote with fear but with hope. “In this region, it is very rare for someone to vote for Sergio Massa. The government gave things and plans to the most needy people in the southern region, where they won.” “Everything is bad: security and the economy. What we have is not working, that’s why we have to try what He’s coming,” he says in front of his shop.

This feeling of uncertainty is present at every step. “We’ve already danced, now we have to dance,” says Thomas Alles, a train security employee. He is 26 years old, from San Fernando and voted for Massa, unlike his co-worker, Roberto Cáceres, who voted for Miley. It’s a feeling similar to the one you get at the Tabac bar, in the most exclusive part of Palermo, where Lisandro Varela works and watches the country go by under Miley. “Today in Argentina we are in the hands of a man and the rain,” which waters the fields, where Argentina’s main export product comes from.

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