Bitcoin-friendly Javier Milei wins most votes in Argentina primary election

An Argentine politician, who has previously spoken positively about Bitcoin (BTC) and called for the abolishment of his country’s central bank, has taken the lead in the country’s presidential open primary elections.

With over 90% of the votes counted, libertarian pro-Bitcoin candidate Javier Milei is leading with nearly 32%. He is trailed by the conservative Together for Change (Juntos por el Cambio) party, with just under 30%, according to Bloomberg data.

Meanwhile, the left-wing Union for the Homeland (Unión por la Patria) coalition — the incumbent government’s group — is third with just over 28.5% of the vote.

The primary elections determine the final candidates for a presidential ballot which is set for October. The results can be seen as an early gauge ahead of the general election.

Libertarian and pro-#bitcoin candidate, Javier Milei, has taken a commanding lead in the Argentinian primary elections. pic.twitter.com/65XQeIVJth— Peter McCormack‍☠️ (@PeterMcCormack) August 14, 2023

Milei founded and leads the Liberty Advances (La Libertad Avanza) coalition, whose views have been described as anywhere between libertarian and far-right.

Milei calls himself an anarcho-capitalist, has rallied for Argentina’s central bank to be abolished, calling it a scam, and has said human organ sales are “just another market.”

Related: Argentine agency opens investigation into Worldcoin over biometric data

He has said Bitcoin is a reaction against “central bank scammers” and claimed fiat currency allows politicians to scam Argentines with inflation.

Javier Milei is running for President of Argentina.

He appears to understand money, and that inflation is an unfair mechanism that advantages elites over the people and slowly robs people of their means of survival. pic.twitter.com/tj0KEztUzI— Alex Stanczyk ∞/21m (@alexstanczyk) January 5, 2023

Such rhetoric has proven popular with Argentina’s voters, who face an annual inflation rate of 116% — the worst in over three decades, adding to the country’s cost of living crisis.

Argentina’s general presidential election will be held on Oct. 22. If no candidate secures at least 45% of votes, a run-off election will be held in November.

Update (Aug. 14, 11:02 pm UTC): This article has been updated to add an explainer of the primary election, and a more accurate description of Javier Milei's stance towards Bitcoin.

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