Javier Milei's spokesperson, Adrian Ravier, told journalists this Tuesday morning (27) that there will be no type of statement from the Argentine government regarding the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula Silva (PT) over Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), an ally of the ultraliberal.
"Note was taken of the electoral result in Brazil", said the official at the weekly press conference at Casa Rosada when answering why there had not yet been a demonstration about Sunday's elections (25). He then stated: "In 2023, when Javier Milei was elected president, there was no gesture from President Lula to personally congratulate him, or anything of the sort."
The statement is incorrect. The PT member was one of the first leaders in Latin America to recognize the results when Milei was elected, in November 2023, although he did not mention the name of the Argentine president.
"Democracy is the voice of the people, and it must always be respected. My congratulations to Argentine institutions for conducting the electoral process and to the Argentine people who participated in the electoral day in an orderly and peaceful manner", said Lula at the time.
"I wish the new government good luck and success. Argentina is a great country and deserves all our respect. Brazil will always be available to work together with our Argentine brothers."
Asked afterwards about the commercial implications of the decision not to recognize the result, Milei's spokesperson stated that "on the Argentine side, diplomacy continues, commercial relations continue".
"All people and companies, both in Argentina and Brazil, who wish to trade and establish relations, will be able to continue to do so with complete normality. Not today, not even next week. What I can say here is that the president is not a hypocrite. Let's say that there is a real ideological difference between the two leaders", he concluded.
The disagreements between the two date back to 2023, when Milei referred to the PT member as a communist and corrupt during his successful campaign for Casa Rosada. In June 2024, Lula suggested that his counterpart apologize, to which the Argentine replied that there were more important things than "the inflated ego of some leftist".
At no time, however, has the crisis been as serious as in this year's election campaign. At the end of July, Milei traveled to São Paulo for the launch of Flávio's campaign and used his speech at the event to call Lula a thief, a prisoner and "socialist trash", in addition to referring to Alexandre de Moraes, minister of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) as "bald trash".
In response, the Brazilian government summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Buenos Aires, Julio Bitelli, and his Argentine counterpart in Brasília, Daniel Raimondi. Weeks later, faced with the escalation of Milei's offenses, Itamaraty decided to keep Bitelli in Brazil and dismiss Raimondi — an unprecedented downgrade in relations between the two countries.
Since the beginning of this crisis, Milei has already shared a message on her social networks saying that "Brazilians deserve much more than this pig", in reference to Lula, and a caricature of the pestista amid rubble and alongside other left-wing leaders in Latin America.
