Liberty Advances (; LA or LLA) is a right-wing to far-right political coalition originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a conservative and ultraconservative tendency on social and cultural issues and right-wing libertarian in economic issues. Its first electoral participation was at the 2021 Argentine legislative election, obtaining the third place with 17% of the votes in the capital. The coalition is led by the economist and national deputy Javier Milei, who is the coalition's candidate for president in the 2023 Argentine general election.
Ideologically, La Libertad Avanza has been described as ultraconservative. It has taken paleolibertarian, minarchist, anarcho-capitalist, Argentine nationalist, and anti-communist positions. It has been characterized as anti-establishment, anti-politics, and opposed to Kirchnerism, and has been accused of denial of Argentine state terrorism during its period of dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s. Due to its radical political stances and that of its leader, who has been described as a controversial, eccentric, and ultraconservative economist, it has been labelled as far right, and compared to Spain's far-right Vox party.
After having sealed an agreement with the politician Juan José Gómez Centurión, the candidates Victoria Villarruel and María Fernanda Araujo, among other conservative leaders, joined the alliance. Milei presented himself separately from the Buenos Aires candidate José Luis Espert, with whom he had previously been linked in the Avanza Libertad. Milei explained that there is no relationship with the Córdoba electoral front La Libertad Avanza.
Milei and Villaruel are the coalition's presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2023 general election.
History
Foundation
On 14 July 2021, the alliance was formalized in Buenos Aires, where many of its member parties are from, to participate in the 2021 Argentine legislative election, having Javier Milei and Victoria Villarruel as the main candidates for national deputies, and Ramiro Marra as the first candidate for the Buenos Aires City Legislature. The coalition was formed by the Integration and Development Movement (MID), Unite for Freedom and Dignity, the and Movement of Pensioners and Youth. In addition, they had the support of parties without legal personality in the district, such as the NOS party of Juan José Gómez Centurión, or Milei's Libertarian Party.
Election campaign and primary elections
On 7 August 2021, the alliance launched its electoral campaign for the primary elections in Argentina with Milei as the protagonist of the event in Plaza Holanda, Palermo, Buenos Aires. Villarruel and Marra also took part at the event, where it was emphasized the critique the political caste and the national government of Alberto Fernández.
On 5 September 2021, the alliance closed its electoral campaign for the 2021 primary elections in Lezama Park, San Telmo, Buenos Aires. The event was estimated to have been attended by at least 25,000 people and focused on criticism mainly in Frente de Todos and Juntos por el Cambio. Hours before the event, Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the president of Brazil; in a video call with Milei, he stated that he supported their coalition. In the 2021 primary elections, they obtained 242,839 votes for national deputies, 13.90% of the votes, and 238,797 votes, or 13.82% of the votes, for Buenos Aires legislators. They became the third force in the district after Juntos por el Cambio and the Frente de Todos.
General election
In the general election, the coalition obtained 313,808 votes for national deputies, 17.04% of the votes, and 318,978 votes for Buenos Aires legislators, 16.74% of the votes. With these results, they obtained two national deputies and five Porteño legislators. The coalition celebrated the results at the Luna Park Stadium, where one of the custodians threatened to draw his non-lethal weapon at the attempt of one of the spectators to get on stage.
According to the electoral campaign financing reports that were submitted after the deadline, the alliance did not obtain private financing and relied exclusively on funds provided by the state. For this reason, doubts arose about the financing of the campaign, which included events with LED screens and sound, as well as rentals such as Luna Park and the Grand View hotel. In that sense, Carlos Maslatón, one of the organizers of the campaign, excused himself by saying that the financing of political campaigns was 98% in black.