Libertarian’s surprise primary win upends Argentina

BUENOS AIRES — As the election results set in, Juan Fonrouge knew just what to do. First: Fill his car with gas. Then, shop for essentials: eight jars of coffee, a dozen cans of mosquito repellent, 100 cans of food, 100 bars of soap. His trunk packed neatly, he posted a picture on social media.

The 44-year-old journalist is not alone. After the surprise primary victory this month of presidential candidate Javier Milei, a Trump-admiring libertarian economist who has promised to dismantle Argentina’s central bank, dollarize the economy and break up the “political caste,” a beleaguered citizenry has launched into a wearyingly familiar crisis mode, rushing to spend pesos in anticipation of the inflation to come.

“It’s a very Argentine thing to do — something for which you’re trained from a very young age,” said Fonrouge, who owns a news agency in La Plata. “Whenever you see prices soaring and the peso nosediving, the first thing to do is stock up to the extent that you can.”