Buenos Aires Herald 
Progressive Latin American leaders including President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, Brazilian President Lula Da Silva, and Uruguayan ex-President José ‘Pepe’ Mujica have openly expressed their support for Union por la Patria (UxP) candidate Sergio Massa in the upcoming elections against far-right candidate Javier Milei.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also voiced his support for the economy minister. The declarations help to consolidate the region’s political chessboard days out from Sunday’s presidential run-off.
Petro said on Wednesday that Argentina is deciding “not only the future of its people, but also the hope of America.”
The Colombian president said Argentina will choose between “a Milei who brings us back to [Augusto] Pinochet or [Jorge] Videla, or a Massa who can open up paths of hope.”
“Do not doubt. We should never vote for barbarism and always vote for hope.”
On Tuesday, Massa shared a video Sánchez recorded wishing him success in the November 19 elections. In it, the Spanish leader describes him as the representation of “understanding and democratic coexistence,” highlighting his proposal of “a project of national unity, solidarity and opportunities for all.”
Sánchez adds that “Sergio Massa represents tolerance and dialogue to build an Argentina with inclusive development, so no one gets left behind.”
Former Uruguayan President José “Pepe” Mujica, who recently received President Alberto Fernández in Montevideo, also recorded a video of himself at home, saying he would vote for Massa.
“If I were able to vote, I’d vote for Massa with both hands. Because he means a step of hope with his attitude of openness and inclusion, instead of contempt and destruction. Good luck, Argentines.”
Without naming him, Brazilian president Lula da Silva also recently expressed his support for Massa, calling on Argentines to consider the region and the regional trade bloc Mercosur. Milei has repeatedly stated that if he were president, he would sever economic ties with “communist-led” countries, which to him include China and Brazil.
“We need a president who favors democracy, respects institutions, and favors Mercosur and South America,” said Lula in his regular Conversation with the President show.
“We will be strong if we stick together. If we stay apart, we’ll be weaker”.
Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador called Milei a “fascist” and “ultraconservative” during a press conference on Tuesday, criticizing Milei’s comments against Pope Francis. “He calls the Pope a communist because the Pope advocates for justice.”
Massa’s opponent, Milei, has recently been endorsed by eight conservative ex-presidents, including Sebastián Piñera (Chile), Felipe Calderón (Mexico), Iván Duque (Colombia), Mariano Rajoy (Spain), and Nobel prize winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa.
