A political earthquake in Argentina

(Photo: Victor R. Caivano – AP)

Center-right opposition leader Mauricio Macri’s outstanding performance in Argentina’s Oct. 25 first round elections was a political earthquake that — regardless of who wins the Nov. 22 runoff vote — will most likely put an end to 12 years of leftist populist rule, and may have a big impact on other South American countries.

Macri, the mayor of Buenos Aires, surprised everybody by not only forcing a runoff election against government-backed candidate Daniel Scioli, but also by winning the giant province of Buenos Aires — home to 37 percent of the country’s voters and which had been in the hands of Scioli’s Peronist party for nearly three decades — and most of the country’s biggest provinces.

In addition, Macri and fellow opposition candidate Sergio Massa won enough seats in Congress to end President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s followers having an absolute majority in the Chamber of Deputies.

Most importantly, by doing much better than most polls had predicted, Macri has the political momentum. He enters the race for the runoff election looking like a winner.

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