The policy differences between UxP and JxC and why neither appeal to 30-50% of voters?
The two traditional voter options, Union for the Fatherland (UxP)and Together for Change (JxC), may be fiercely opposed on certain issues but their policies are identical on many more. When it comes to Argentina’s main commercial interests both agree to support local companies and to subsidise multinationals that locate manufacturing in Argentina. None of this is unusual but this extra support for corporations doesn’t seem to be working for the Argentinians. There is little to differentiate UxP and JxC and there is a lot of distrust in their competence. Could this be the real root of voter anger? For whatever reason a large number of voters fail to see themselves represented by either UxP or JxC.
Where the political alliances are given room to disagree are on issues of the role of the state, on the use of force by police and on social and religious issues that don’t affect commercial concerns of the corporations acting in the economy. These have faced harsh criticism as poverty spikes in chronic inflation and companies reacted to the August devaluations with recent price hikes by companies like Arcor 25%, Colgate Palmolive 24%, Perez Companc’s Molinos Río de la Plata 25% and Unilever 27% (in a month).
The lack of choice that Mr. Milei rants on about is, however, quite different. As are his reasons for inflation which don’t mention the market at all. Milei casts himself as an economists and as an ultra-liberal, an economic sect that literally considers taxation as theft. In interviews he is fond of the phrase “Get your [the State’s] hands out of my pockets”. Milei vows to end the corrupt state, not reform it or root out corruption but to carve it up and sell it to the markets. For Milei La Libertad Avanza with a smaller State, the smaller the better.
The opposition coalition Juntos por el Cambio (JxC) with Coalición Cívica and Union Cívica Radical the country’s oldest party. The current govt coalition has been renamed for campaign Unidos por la Patria (UxP) primarily Partido Justicialista founded by Peron and the handful of socialist parties. Peronismo basically a unique hybrid blend of left and right populism, like all populism a scam, a cruel fraud. The Kirchners basically hjacked it to suit their needs and left wing populist narrative