Argentina’s Milei Viewed Negatively by Six in Ten as 2027 Vote Nears
ARGENTINA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The country Argentina has about 46 million people and South America’s second-largest economy. Its politics swing between free-market reformers and Peronism, the state-led movement founded in the 1940s.
- —The background Javier Milei, a libertarian economist, took office on 10 December 2023 and cut spending hard. Monthly inflation fell from 25.5% then to 1.7% in August 2026, but growth has stalled.
- —Why now His 1,000th day in office fell on 4 September. On 27 September a new national poll put his negative image at 61.8%, in line with three other September surveys.
- —What happened The pollster Zuban Córdoba, surveying 2,000 people on 16–19 September, found 36.1% view Milei positively and 61.8% negatively. 63.6% disapprove of his government.
- —The numbers AtlasIntel for Bloomberg found 58% disapproval, the Universidad de San Andrés 61% and Explanans 58.2% negative ratings. Every September poll puts his critics near six in ten.
- —What it means for you Milei wants a second term in October 2027 but has no majority in Congress. Reforms need allies’ votes, and a weaker president finds those harder to win.
- —Still open Whether the economy recovers in time. The same poll shows no runaway opposition: in a two-way race Peronism leads his party by less than a point.
More than 1,000 days into his term, Argentina’s President Javier Milei is viewed negatively by about six in ten Argentines. A new national poll published on Sunday is the fourth this month to say so.
The numbers matter beyond Argentina. Milei’s spending cuts and market reforms are watched by investors worldwide, and he faces voters again in October 2027.
What the new poll found
Zuban Córdoba, an Argentine polling firm, surveyed 2,000 people aged 16 and over nationwide between 16 and 19 September. The results were published on 27 September.
It found 36.1% hold a positive view of Milei and 61.8% a negative one. Almost everyone knows him: only 0.9% said they did not.
Asked about his government rather than the man, 63.6% disapproved and 35.3% approved. That is close to the 65% it recorded in April, after a slight recovery in August.
Milei ranked sixth for positive image. Axel Kicillof, the Peronist governor of Buenos Aires province, led with 45%, ahead of former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner at 42%.
Myriam Bregman, a left-wing member of Congress, scored 40.1%, and Patricia Bullrich, a senator from Milei’s own camp, 37.6%. Asked about voting, 59.1% said they would never back Milei, the highest rejection among the leading names.
Four polls, one picture
The other September surveys point the same way, although they ask different questions. AtlasIntel, polling 2,193 adults for Bloomberg between 30 August and 3 September, found 58% disapproval and 38.1% approval.
The same survey put his negative image at 62%. Seven in ten respondents rated the job market as bad.
The Universidad de San Andrés, a private university near Buenos Aires, polled 1,004 adults online between 3 and 9 September. It found 35% approval and 61% disapproval, unchanged from August.
Explanans, a consultancy, put negative ratings of his government at 58.2%, as reported on 17 September. Four firms using different methods landed within six points of each other.
Why the numbers have slipped
The biggest complaints are about work and wages, not prices. In the San Andrés survey, lack of jobs was the top worry at 39%, followed by low wages at 36%.
Official data back that mood: INDEC, the national statistics office, said activity fell 2.9% in July from June. Local media called it the steepest monthly drop since the 2020 pandemic lockdown.
Unemployment rose to 7.9% in the second quarter. JP Morgan has since cut its 2026 growth forecast to 1.5%.
Why he is not finished
The same polls show a solid floor. San Andrés says approval has held between 34% and 37% since April.
That is roughly where former president Mauricio Macri stood at the same point in his term. Macri, a centre-right reformer, lost his re-election bid in 2019.
The opposition is also split. Zuban Córdoba puts Peronism at 34% and Milei’s party, La Libertad Avanza, at 30.1% when several forces are offered.
In a straight two-way contest the gap almost vanishes: Peronism 35.9%, his party 35.1%. A president disliked by six in ten can still win against a divided field.
What it means for investors and residents
The next presidential election is on 24 October 2027, and the constitution allows Milei one more consecutive term. His current term ends on 10 December 2027.
His party, La Libertad Avanza, gained seats in the October 2025 midterms but holds a majority in neither house of Congress. Every reform needs votes from provincial governors and allies.
That makes his popularity a practical matter. Pending items include a rewrite of the central bank’s charter and the 2027 budget.
A plan to abolish party primaries has stalled in the Senate. Milei is taking a dozen or more governors to an investment showcase in Paris this week partly to court their votes.
Investors in Argentine bonds watch these polls because a Peronist return in 2027 could reverse parts of his programme. For residents, the practical signal is a slower economy, not a political crisis.
What comes next
AtlasIntel and San Andrés poll monthly, so October’s readings will show whether the July slump is sinking him further. The official third-quarter output figure is due in December.
The polls do not mean Milei is heading for defeat. The election is 13 months away, his core support is stable, and Argentine pollsters underestimated him badly in the 2023 primaries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is Javier Milei now?
September polls put disapproval of Argentina’s president at between 58% and 64%, and positive ratings at between 35% and 42%. His support has been broadly stable since April, at a lower level than in his first year.
When is Argentina’s next presidential election?
On 24 October 2027. The constitution allows Milei to run for one more consecutive four-year term, and his current term ends on 10 December 2027.
Who are the main opposition figures?
The best-rated in the latest poll is Axel Kicillof, the Peronist governor of Buenos Aires province. Former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the left-wing lawmaker Myriam Bregman follow.
What do the polls mean for investors?
Milei governs without a majority in Congress, so weaker ratings make it harder to pass reforms. Investors also price the risk that a Peronist government from December 2027 would reverse parts of his programme.
Sources: El Destape, Zuban Córdoba poll, 27 September 2026, La Voz de Rosario, Zuban Córdoba poll, 27 September 2026, Infobae, AtlasIntel/Bloomberg poll, 11 September 2026, La Silla Rota, AtlasIntel poll, 25 September 2026, Revista Mercado, Universidad de San Andrés ESPOP, September 2026, InfoBAN, ESPOP, 11 September 2026, iProfesional, ESPOP, 21 September 2026, INDEC, monthly activity estimate for July 2026, 24 September 2026, C5N, INDEC inflation for August, 10 September 2026, Infobae, INDEC unemployment for the second quarter, 17 September 2026, Chequeado, July activity, September 2026. Background: The Rio Times profile of Javier Milei, 27 September 2026. All retrieved 28 September 2026.
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