The Church Mission Society (CMS), which absorbed the South American Mission Society (SAMS) in 2009, has responded to the election of far-right populist outsider Javier Milei as the new President of Argentina.
Speaking exclusively to Evangelicals Now, CMS spokesperson Naomi Steinberg commented: ‘From a mission point of view, we can see that the political, economic and environmental situation in Argentina is precarious and needs much prayer. Our people in mission in the region are praying that the new President will be surrounded by a leadership team that is wise, compassionate and full of integrity’.
Milei’s victory has been described as ‘a political earthquake’. It has been welcomed by like-minded politicians such as US ex-President Donald Trump, who said Mr Milei would ‘Make Argentina great again’ and Brazil’s former leader Jair Bolsonaro, who said that ‘hope would shine again in South America’. His victory comes as Argentina suffers a desperate economic crisis, with annual inflation running at 143% and 40% of its people living in poverty.