Milei’s campaign event ends with skirmishes
BUENOS AIRES
Fist fights and hurled projectiles have marked the end of a campaign rally attended by Argentina's President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires ahead of midterm elections.
Tensions are high ahead of legislative elections that are slated for Sept. 7, and at the end of Sept. 3's event, AFP witnessed skirmishes breaking out among rally attendees.
The vote marks the first major test of Milei's leadership since he took office in December 2023 on the promise of reviving Argentina's ailing economy by slashing public spending, despite continual protest from pensioners and others affected by his austerity regime.
Before the event, the governor of Buenos Aires, Peronist Axel Kicillof, took to social media platform X to warn against the chosen location.
Milei left the scene without incident, but continues to navigate the worst moment of his 21-month tenure amid public outrage over a Milei family corruption scandal.
A week ago, Milei's vehicle was pelted with stones, plants and bottles while campaigning near the capital Buenos Aires.
Milei and his sister, Karina Milei, were whisked from the scene and sustained no injuries. But public outrage persists.
As her brother's trusted aide and general secretary of the presidency, Karina Milei is accused of receiving a 3-percent cut on the amount paid by the National Disability Agency (Andis) for the purchase of medicine from Argentine pharma firm Suizo Argentina.
