There are moments when a people seem broken. Tired of promises, overwhelmed by frustration, numbed by routine. Argentina has reached that point many times. But this time, something different is happening. In the city that for two decades was the heart of macrismo — the moderate liberal movement promoted by former president Mauricio Macri — a different flag now waves. The purple flag of change. La Libertad Avanza (LLA), the party of President Javier Milei, has just won the legislative elections in the City of Buenos Aires, displacing PRO and surpassing Peronism. It was not just a victory. It was a signal.
A signal that Argentines are willing to continue betting on a path of transformation, even when the price is high. With only 30.1% of the vote, the list led by Manuel Adorni from Milei’s party surpassed Peronism (27.3%) and pushed PRO into an unprecedented third place (15.9%). With low voter turnout (53.3%), the message was even stronger: those who went out to vote did so with conviction. “The yellow bastion turned purple,” Milei celebrated. It was not just a clever phrase. It was a historic milestone.
Behind that result are the numbers. Not polling numbers, but the ones that affect real life. Inflation, which had reached 200% annually, fell to 117%. The monthly index dropped from 25% to 2.4%. The exchange rate stabilized. The “cepo cambiario” — a system of restrictions on access to dollars to prevent capital flight — is beginning to be dismantled. Poverty, which had soared to 50%, fell to 38% in April. And for the first time in many years, Argentina achieved a fiscal surplus. That result, equivalent to 0.4% of GDP, contrasts with the projected fiscal deficit for Guatemala in 2025, which will reach 3.1% of GDP: the third-highest level in seven years and a growing concern for analysts and international organizations. Meanwhile, the Merval — the Buenos Aires stock market index reflecting market confidence — rose 140%. It is not a miracle. It is a radical turn.
Of course, not everything is joy. Employment has not rebounded. The adjustment has been painful. There has been a decline in consumption, the closure of programs, and social tensions. But Milei never promised comfort. He promised the truth. And when truth is combined with consistency, results begin to speak for themselves.
The victory in Buenos Aires was exactly that: support for a narrative that finally matches the facts. And a warning to the old political class. PRO, once a reference point for liberal order, failed to renew itself. Peronism, although it maintains structure, has failed to articulate a credible alternative. Milei, with his provocative style, has filled that vacuum. And he has done so with a firmness that challenges the entire continent: either we resign ourselves to continue as we are, or we dare to change course with all the available energy.
This momentum is not definitive. The national legislative elections in October will be the real battle. A total of 127 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 24 in the Senate will be renewed. According to polls, LLA leads with 37% against 32% for Unión por la Patria (UP). In districts such as the Province of Buenos Aires, UP retains an advantage. But nationally, Milei is in a position to grow, especially if he manages alliances with sectors of PRO and the UCR.
Argentina chose to leap into the abyss with faith. Guatemala remains standing on the shore, paralyzed by fear. But history does not reward the timid; it rewards those who dare.
What is at stake is not just a legislative majority. It is the possibility of consolidating a model. A model that, unlike Kirchnerism — the stage of Peronism led by Néstor and Cristina Kirchner based on expansive public spending, massive subsidies, and state control — does not seek control as an end, but as an obstacle to remove. In contrast to clientelist populism, Milei proposes a nation of producers, entrepreneurs, and free citizens who do not depend on political favor to live with dignity.
Now, not everything is stable within Milei’s environment. There are risks surrounding him. The recent conflict with his vice president Victoria Villarruel, which generated tensions over appointments and weakened the image of internal cohesion, reduced credibility. Some critics claim Milei has surrounded himself with figures who do not share a pure libertarian vision, while others warn about a style that at times borders on authoritarianism. These concerns should not be ignored, but neither should they overshadow the results achieved. What is at stake is whether the course can be maintained without surrendering to the old vices of power.
And that is where Guatemala should pay close attention. While Argentina is engaged in a profound discussion about the role of the State, here we remain trapped in empty debates, always choosing the lesser evil, trusting that good intentions will be enough. But nations are not built on wishes. They are built on courageous decisions, on dreams, but also on clear ideas about what truly works in the economy of the country and its people.
Milei’s results remind us that pain is part of change, but also that change can bring results. That poverty can be reduced without printing money. That the currency can be stabilized without lying to the people. That a surplus can exist without raising taxes. That the entrepreneur is not the problem, but the solution.
If there is something that should inspire us from this Argentine turn, it is the certainty that peoples awaken when they see consistency between words and actions. That freedom is not a utopia, but a political decision. That wealth is not distributed: it is created.
Argentina chose to leap into the abyss with faith. Guatemala remains standing on the shore, paralyzed by fear. But history does not reward the timid; it rewards those who dare.
And this time, it was the Argentines who decided to dare first.
