Milei says he will seek re-election in Argentina's October 2027 presidential vote

Milei announces re-election bid

Argentine President Javier Milei will run for a second term in the presidential election scheduled for October 2027. He made the announcement at the opening of an exhibition in a museum behind the government seat in Buenos Aires, responding to people who doubted he would stand again. Milei has been in office for almost three years and leads the second-largest economy in South America. He won the 2023 runoff on a promise of radical 'chainsaw' politics, and a chainsaw became his symbol for a smaller state and a deregulated economy.

Inflation down, growth up, cuts felt

During his term, inflation, which had been enormous, fell markedly after a series of reforms. The economy grew 4.4 percent in 2025. The same policies have drawn heavy criticism over their social costs, including the removal of many civil service posts, reduced subsidies and wound-down social programmes. An official statistic counts a third of Argentina's 46 million residents as poor, and many of them depend on state support.

Milei's own framing

Milei, a 56-year-old economist, presents himself in a strong position despite the criticism. He argues that Argentina turned inward over the hundred years before he took office and became steadily poorer, and that the economy is growing again. He has adopted Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' slogan in his own way, saying that Argentina still has a lot of work to do to become great again. Milei is a close ally of the US president.