News
Brazil Elections (Runoff)
- 04/10/2026 » 20:34 by cronywell
With 90.88% of the ballot boxes officially counted by the Eastern Superior Electoral Court (TSE ), the consolidated vote-by-vote numbers confirm that the presidential election will be defined in a second round. [1]
The official partial results for the main candidates are as follows: [1, 2]
|
Candidate |
Match |
Total Votes |
Percentage |
|
Liberal Party (PL) |
51.784.398 |
47,99% |
|
|
Workers' Party (PT) |
47.515.742 |
44,03% |
|
|
Avante |
3.160.269 |
2,93% |
|
|
Renan Antônio F. dos Santos |
Mission Party |
2.474.819 |
2,29% |
|
Social Democratic Party (PSD) |
2.425.324 |
2,03% |
The total number of contested, null or blank votes ("Spoiled Votes") amounts to 5,351,905. [1]
Given that no candidate managed to surpass the absolute majority (50% plus one of the valid votes), the statistical projections of the polling firm Datafolha mathematically confirm the runoff. The presidency of Brazil will be definitively decided next year. [3, 4]
Elections for the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil 2026
8 of the 513 seats disputed in the elections awarded. 90.66% counted. 513 seats in total. Preliminary results.
Liberal Party
121 seats
3 wins · 118 advantage
23.26% of votes
Brazil of Hope Federation
78 seats
0 won · 78 advantage
13.23% of votes
Progressive Union Federation
69 seats
0 wins · 69 advantage
10.88% of votes
Social Democratic Party
42 seats
0 won · 42 lead
8.03% of votes
More results
20:24
From Superior Electoral Court (TSE) via Reuters
Brazil Senate Elections 2026
2 of the 54 seats disputed in the elections awarded. 90.83% counted. 81 seats in total. Preliminary results.
Liberal Party
29 seats
2 won · 18 lead · 9 seats not put to a vote
28.69% of votes
Workers' Party
9 seats
0 won · 6 lead · 3 seats not put to a vote
12.49% of votes
Brazilian Democratic Movement
8 seats
0 won · 7 lead · 1 seats not voted
5.66% of votes
Progressives
6 seats
0 won · 3 lead · 3 seats not put to a vote
10.75% of votes
Milei and Macron at the Élysée: The $75 Billion "Bazooka" to Shield the Election Year
- 01/10/2026 » 19:18 by cronywell
🏛️ POLITICS & ECONOMY · INTERNATIONAL
Milei and Macron at the Élysée: The $75 Billion "Bazooka" to Shield the Election Year
The Argentine president was received in Paris by his French counterpart and, hours earlier, told investors at the OECD that his government is "well armed" against destabilization attempts. The figures, the announcements and the open questions.
📅 October 1, 2026 ⏱️ Reading time: 5 min 📍 Paris, France ✍️ Newsroom
📷 View image: Élysée Palace, Paris (absolute link)
Élysée Palace, Paris. Photo: Eric Pouhier, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5). To insert it, download it from the link and upload it to your blog.
⚡ Key points
• 🤝 Milei was received by Macron at the Élysée on Thursday, with his sister Karina Milei.
• 💵 He said he has $75 billion available to face volatility in 2027.
• ⚡ TotalEnergies announced investments of nearly $10 billion.
• 📈 He projected that 2028 will be "the best economic year" if he is re-elected.
📑 In this story
1. The meeting at the Élysée
2. The "bazooka": what it is made of
3. The message to investors
4. A critical reading: what to keep in mind
🏛️ The meeting at the Élysée
To a military fanfare, an embrace from Emmanuel Macron and a greeting between Karina Milei and Brigitte Macron, the Argentine president arrived at the Élysée Palace on Thursday. According to official sources (in Spanish), the two leaders discussed artificial intelligence, the progress of Argentina Week and announcements by French companies, mainly in energy.
According to an Infobae report republished by other outlets (in Spanish), a private meeting of about 40 minutes was followed by a broader session with part of both cabinets and invited business leaders. The French side, Argentine government sources said, asked how the country sustains its fiscal adjustment, a subject of particular concern in France.
The delegation included governors such as Gustavo Sáenz, Ignacio Torres, Raúl Jalil, Marcelo Orrego and Jorge Macri, among others, as well as officials such as Diego Santilli. The visit is part of Argentina Week, organized by Argentina's embassy to attract European capital.
💣 The "bazooka": what it is made of
Hours earlier, at OECD headquarters (Château de la Muette), Milei spoke for about 50 minutes to investors and bankers. There he said, as reported by Infobae, that the government has a "bazooka" of roughly $75 billion against "destabilizing and coup-seeking attempts" during the 2027 election process.
"We spent this whole year getting ahead and preparing a dollar bazooka."
The breakdown, as detailed in his speech:
|
Component |
Amount (USD) |
|
🏦 Reserve purchases |
$20 billion |
|
🇺🇸 Swap with the United States |
$20 billion |
|
🇨🇳 Swap with China |
$20 billion |
|
📊 Futures position |
$15 billion |
|
Total |
$75 billion |
📣 The message to investors
The president urged investors to "come in now," because once the country reaches investment grade it may be "too late." He tied that rating to lower interest rates, more growth and less poverty. He also projected cumulative expansion of more than 16 points over his term, against under 6% for the OECD average, and repeated that 2028 will be the best economic year in history if he is re-elected.
The event produced one concrete announcement: TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné announced plans of nearly $10 billion, highlighting the ability to repatriate dividends and the incentive regime for large investments. Milei noted that the previous Argentina Week had announced more than $16 billion.
🔎 A critical reading: what to keep in mind
• These are the government's own figures. The outlets consulted repeat the breakdown presented by the president; none includes an independent audit of the total.
• The components are not equivalent. Reserve purchases, swap lines and futures positions are different instruments with different conditions and uses. Adding them into one number is a communications choice that analysts often qualify.
• The political accusation. Milei linked sectors of the opposition to possible destabilization attempts; the articles cited present no evidence of such attempts.
• The French context. Macron's side showed interest in the fiscal adjustment, but according to sources the meeting centered on investment, AI and geopolitics.
❓ Frequently asked questions
When and where did the meeting take place?
On Thursday, October 1, 2026, at the Élysée Palace in Paris, during Argentina Week.
What is the $75 billion "bazooka"?
It is the set of resources that, according to Milei, the government has to face volatility in the 2027 election year (see table).
What is Argentina Week?
An investment forum organized by Argentina's embassy in France, bringing together officials, governors and companies in energy, mining, agribusiness, technology and finance.
🔗 Sources consulted
• Infobae — Milei at the Élysée Palace (Spanish)
• Infobae — Speech at Argentina Week (Spanish)
• Forbes Argentina — The "bazooka" and 2028 (Spanish)
• Cadena 3 — Investment and adjustment (Spanish)
• DolarHoy — Breakdown and TotalEnergies announcement (Spanish)
Quotes are translated from Spanish by the newsroom. Last reviewed: October 1, 2026. Information may be updated.
"Come and fill your pockets": Milei travels to France with 13 governors to attract investments in mining, energy and agriculture
- 29/09/2026 » 18:28 by cronywell
🏛️ POLITICS | 💼 ECONOMY | 🌍 INTERNATIONAL
"Come and fill your pockets": Milei travels to France with 13 governors to attract investments in mining, energy and agriculture
The President will lead Argentina Week in Paris, meet with Emmanuel Macron and seek to show federal support to European businessmen, in a context of high country risk and tension with the opposition over the RIGI.
✍️ By Redacción · 📍 Paris / Buenos Aires · 📅 September 29, 2026 · ⏱️ Reading time: 7 min
🖼️ AI-generated image that Milei shared on Instagram before the trip. Credit: screenshot reproduced by elDiarioAR. See original image
⚡ KEYS TO THE NEWS
• 🗓️ Milei departs on Tuesday, September 29 and Argentina Week takes place in Paris from 9/30 to 10/2.
• 13 governors of mining, energy and agricultural provinces are traveling. 🤝
• 🇫🇷 On Thursday 1/10: speech at the OECD, meeting with businessmen and audience with Macron at the Elysée.
• 💬 Central message: French investors are welcome to "line their pockets".
• ⚖️ He defended the RIGI in the face of criticism from the opposition.
🧭 In this article: The trip · The message · The governors · Agenda · Macron · RIGI · Context · Frequently asked questions
President Javier Milei will leave this Tuesday, September 29, at 10 p.m., for Paris to lead a new edition of Argentina Week, a business forum that will take place between September 30 and October 2 and that the Government presents as a showcase to attract European capital. The mission arrives a few days after its passage through New York, where it participated in the UN General Assembly.
The focus of the tour is the sectors in which the Casa Rosada is committed to attracting investment: mining, energy and agribusiness, with the complement of infrastructure, health, technology and artificial intelligence. The delegation includes ministers, businessmen and a dozen governors of provinces with a productive profile, and the agenda also includes meetings related to the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union.
Before traveling, the President projected that Argentine exports will exceed US$ 100,000 million in 2026 and that they could be between US$ 180,000 and 200,000 million in 2031, a figure that the ruling party will use as a central argument before investors.
The message that anticipated the tour arose from an extensive interview with the French weekly Le Point, held in the presidential office of the Casa Rosada. There they asked him why large French companies should trust Argentina, alluding to precedents such as that of Aguas Argentinas, the local subsidiary of Suez, during the 2002 crisis. Milei responded that his administration guarantees the right to property and the fulfillment of contracts, and added:
"French investors are welcome to come and line their pockets in Argentina."
According to the President, these gains will translate into employment and prosperity for Argentines. The phrase, which quickly became the headline of the trip, summarizes the tone of the mission: a speech of economic openness and legal certainty aimed at the companies of the CAC 40, the main stock market index in Paris.
The staging was also digital. Hours before leaving, Milei posted on Instagram a video generated with artificial intelligence in which he appears at the top of the Eiffel Tower, with the Argentine flag and a lion, to promote Argentina Week.
The federal photo is one of the political bets of the trip. According to the list released by national media, Milei is accompanied by the governors of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, Mendoza, San Juan, Catamarca, Salta, Jujuy, Chaco, Corrientes and Entre Ríos, as well as the head of the Buenos Aires government, Jorge Macri. Due to its productive profile, the delegation is organized as follows (indicative classification of this newsroom):
• ⛏️ Mining and lithium: Marcelo Orrego (San Juan), Raúl Jalil (Catamarca), Carlos Sadir (Jujuy), Gustavo Sáenz (Salta) and Alfredo Cornejo (Mendoza).
• ⚡ Energy: Rolando Figueroa (Neuquén), Alberto Weretilneck (Río Negro), Ignacio Torres (Chubut) and Claudio Vidal (Santa Cruz).
• 🌾 Agriculture and production: Rogelio Frigerio (Entre Ríos), Juan Pablo Valdés (Corrientes) and Leandro Zdero (Chaco).
• 🏙️ City of Buenos Aires: Jorge Macri, who confirmed his presence at the last minute.
Figueroa and Weretilneck appear with their own names in the panel "Argentinean Gas in the World Market", along with executives from the private sector. Maximiliano Pullaro from Santa Fe and Martín Llaryora from Córdoba, who will send a delegation representing his province, were left out.
Double reading. In addition to the economic component, the presence of the governors has an internal political objective: the government negotiates with the provinces the 2027 Budget and other projects that it intends to send to Congress, including changes in the electoral system. A libertarian official quoted by Infobae stated that, at the very least, they seek to suspend the next PASO. At the same time, media such as elDiarioAR and Perfil reported internal friction over the control of the travel agenda.
• 🛫 Tuesday 29/9, 22:00: departure of the President for France.
• 🍷 Wednesday 30/9: Arrival in Paris and welcome cocktail-dinner at the Argentine Embassy.
• 🎤 Thursday 1/10 (main day): speech at the OECD headquarters on the factors driving Argentine growth; meeting with governors focused on investments; meeting with businessmen and private audience with Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace. On the same day, Macron will receive the official delegation participating in the forum.
• 🏆 During the tour: he will receive a distinction from the Paris Economic Forum and will share an activity with Philippe Aghion, Nobel Prize in Economics 2025.
• 📆 Friday 2/10: Argentina Week closes.
He is accompanied by the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo; the President of the Central Bank, Santiago Bausili; the Foreign Minister, Pablo Quirno; the Minister of Deregulation, Federico Sturzenegger, and the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei.
With the French president, Milei chose a cordial tone: he defined him as a friend and thanked him, together with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, for having helped unblock the European votes on the IMF board for the latest agreement with Argentina. Regarding the submarine tender, in which the French Naval Group competes with the German Thyssenkrupp and the South Korean Hanwha, he said that the most convenient option will be chosen according to technical performance and financing.
The trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, on the other hand, continues to be a sensitive point: it faces resistance from French agricultural sectors, an obstacle that runs through the mission's entire agro-export agenda.
The cordiality did not reach French domestic politics. In the interview, Milei described the left's tax proposals as "economic suicide," advised those who "detest France" to vote for those forces, said that eventual protests against his visit would be "a medal" and denied that there is an extreme right, which he described as an invention of his adversaries. He also gave his opinion on immigration in terms that generated repercussions in the French and Argentine media.
Another of the axes of the interview was the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI), a key tool of the official offer in Europe. Faced with criticism from the opposition, which maintains that the scheme delivers resources such as lithium, gas and mining to multinational companies, Milei responded harshly: he spoke of "economic illiterates" and compared his adversaries with the Macana Brothers, the cavemen in the animated series Los autos locos. To support his position, he mentioned the evolution of YPF and the energy balance.
Critics of the regime, meanwhile, insist that the benefits granted to large companies do not guarantee local spillover. The debate, far from being closed, will once again be at the center of the scene with the governors of mining and energy provinces as protagonists.
The tour comes at a delicate time for the economic program. The country risk is around 600 points and the government seeks to show European investors that the adjustment has a return, while household consumption fell again in August, with a year-on-year drop of 1.1% as reported by elDiarioAR. Added to this are the discussion of the 2027 Budget, the negotiations with the provinces and the political climate prior to the trip.
• Milei's speech at the OECD and the reaction of the investors present.
• The possible announcements after the private audience with Macron at the Elysée.
• The publication of the second part of the interview in Le Point, scheduled for Wednesday.
• Meetings with governors and their impact on the legislative agenda.
• The eventual demonstrations of rejection of the visit in Paris.
What is Argentina Week?
It is a business forum that brings together officials, governors and executives to promote investments in Argentina. The Paris edition takes place from September 30 to October 2, 2026.
What did Milei say about investors?
In an interview with Le Point, he said that French investors are welcome "to fill their pockets" in Argentina and that their profits will generate employment and prosperity.
When does Milei meet with Macron?
The private audience is scheduled for Thursday, October 1 at the Elysee Palace, following the presidential speech at the OECD headquarters.
Which governors travel to France?
Thirteen governors: Figueroa, Weretilneck, Torres, Vidal, Cornejo, Frigerio, Sáenz, Valdés, Zdero, Sadir, Orrego and Jalil, in addition to the head of the Buenos Aires government, Jorge Macri.
📚 Sources consulted
• elDiarioAR – Milei showed himself on top of the Eiffel Tower and warned French businessmen
• Channel 26 – Milei's message to investors prior to his landing in France
• El Litoral – Milei invited French businessmen to invest in Argentina before traveling to Paris
• Infobae – The 13 allied governors who will travel with Milei to France
• Profile – Milei travels to Paris: 13 governors, bilateral with Macron and friction over the agenda
• Scope – Javier Milei puts together a federal photo in Paris
🚨 Poverty in Argentina climbed to 32.3%
- 25/09/2026 » 08:56 by cronywell
ECONOMY · INDEC · ARGENTINA
🚨 Poverty in Argentina climbed to 32.3% in the first half of the year and already affects 15.5 million people
INDEC reported a jump of 4.1 percentage points compared to the second half of 2025 and broke three consecutive periods of decline. Indigence also rose, to 7.5%. The mismatch between income and the cost of the baskets explains the deterioration.
🗓️ Updated: September 25, 2026 ⏱️ Reading Time: 5 minutes 📍 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Poverty rose again in Argentina. According to the report released Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC), the indicator reached 32.3% of the population during the first half of 2026, that is, 4.1 percentage points more than in the second half of 2025, when it had marked 28.2%. When projecting the data of the 31 urban agglomerations surveyed to the country as a whole, the figure is equivalent to about 15.5 million people below the poverty line. Indigence, meanwhile, climbed to 7.5%, some 3.6 million Argentines who are unable to cover even the basic food basket.
The figure marks a break: it is the first increase after three consecutive semesters of decline. In terms of households, poverty affected 24.4% and indigence, 5.6%. Compared to the first half of 2025 – when the index had been 31.6% – the current level is also higher.
📈 A BREAK IN THE TREND
The trajectory of the last two years had been downward: poverty went from 52.9% in the first half of 2024 to 38.9% by the end of that year, and continued to fall to 31.6% and 28.2% in the two semesters of 2025. The jump to 32.3% in the first six months of 2026 interrupts this dynamic and returns the indicator to values similar to those of the beginning of 2025.
Graph: Authors' elaboration based on INDEC data
👶 CHILDREN, THE HARDEST HIT SECTOR
The deterioration had a particularly strong impact on the youngest. According to the statistical agency's age breakdown, child poverty went from 41.3% at the end of 2025 to 44.5% in the current measurement, well above the general average. The gap between generations once again puts the spotlight on a structural phenomenon in Argentina: children systematically concentrate the highest levels of poverty in the country.
🗺️ AN UNEVEN MAP: POVERTY BY REGION
The regional differences are marked. The Northeast (NEA) led the ranking with an incidence of 41.5%, followed by Cuyo with 36.7%. In Greater Buenos Aires, poverty reached 32.1%, although with a very wide gap internally: 13.9% in the City of Buenos Aires compared to 36.9% in the suburban districts. Further behind were the Northwest (31.5%), the Pampas region (30.3%) and, with the best record in the country, Patagonia (28.4%). Indigence was also higher in the NEA (10.5%) and in the GBA (8.4%).
Graph: Authors' elaboration based on INDEC data
💸 INCOME THAT DOES NOT COVER THE BASKET
INDEC itself explained the deterioration based on the mismatch between household income and the cost of the reference baskets. During the first half of the year, the average family per capita income rose 11.5%, well below the 21.4% increase in the Basic Food Basket (CBA, which measures indigence) and the 19.6% increase in the Total Basic Basket (CBT, which measures poverty). This difference is also reflected in the so-called poverty gap – the distance between the income of poor households and the amount needed to overcome it – which in the first half of the year stood at 35.9%.
▪ Family per capita income: +11.5%
▪ Basic Food Basket (indigence): +21.4%
▪ Total Basic Basket (poverty): +19.6%
▪ Poverty gap: 35.9%
🏛️ THE GOVERNMENT'S READING
The economic team relativized the specific data and emphasized the longer-term comparison. The Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, remarked through his social networks that, despite the rise compared to the previous semester, both poverty and indigence show a pronounced drop compared to the first half of 2024, when the indicators had reached 52.9% and 18.1% respectively. In the ruling party, they maintain that the rebound in the semester responds to specific factors and they hope that the trend will be reversed again in the next reports.
🔎 WHAT TO WATCH FROM HERE ON OUT
The new data reopens the debate on the social impact of the economic program and on the sustainability of the recovery of income in the face of the cost of living. Some social programs — such as Progresar, Acompañamiento Social and Volver al Trabajo — lost coverage in the period analyzed, a factor that economists and social organizations point to as part of the explanation. The next measurement, corresponding to the second half of 2026, will be key to confirming whether the jump was temporary or the beginning of a new trend.
📚 SOURCES CONSULTED
🔗 Clarín — https://www.clarin.com/
🔗 TN — All News — https://tn.com.ar/
Note prepared with official data from INDEC (Permanent Household Survey). The graphs are prepared by the authors.