Argentina is the second-largest economy in South America, one of the world’s major food exporters, and a rapidly expanding producer of energy and minerals. Yet as it prepares to elect a new president, the country is struggling to address a formidable set of challenges, including triple-digit inflation, a slumping economy, high debt, and a shortage of hard currency made more severe by a historic drought.

The election is unpredictable, with three coalitions competing, including the ruling Peronists and parties associated with the libertarian Javier Milei. For now, the leading coalition is the center-right Juntos por el Cambio of former President Mauricio Macri, who led Argentina from 2015 to 2019. The coalition will be represented either by Macri’s successor as mayor of the city of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, or by Macri’s former security minister, Patricia Bullrich. Polls show a tight primary contest.

To learn about Bullrich’s plans for repairing Argentina’s deep and chronic economic imbalances and turning around its stagnant economy, please join the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program, in partnership with McLarty Associates, on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (ET), for a virtual dialogue with Bullrich’s senior economic adviser, Luciano Laspina. Laspina is a member of the Chamber of Deputies, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, and a former chief economist at Banco Ciudad de Buenos Aires. This is the second event in the Latin America Program’s “Argentina Elige” series. Future conversations will feature senior economic advisers to Rodríguez Larreta and Economy Minister Sergio Massa.