Sergio Massa, Argentina's presidential candidate, has committed to introduce a central bank digital currency (CBDC) if elected in order to "solve" Argentina's long-running inflation crisis.

"I am clear that inflation is a huge problem in Argentina," Argentina's second-leading contender stated in an Oct. 2 presidential debate before explaining his strategy to address the country's crippling inflation:

“We are going to launch the digital currency in Argentina. [...] We are going to do it globally for all of Argentina accompanied by a laundering law that allows those who have money abroad to bring it and use it freely without new taxes in parallel.”

Massa, Argentina's current Economy Minister, dismissed the notion that the country should switch to the US dollar:

“Dollarization is what generates the temptation of the dollar. Be patriots [and] defend our currency, do not promote the use of it [the U.S. dollar],” he stated.

Argentina's general election will be held on October 22. Two of the three major surveys show Massa trailing Javier Milei, a pro-Bitcoin and anti-central bank candidate who won Argentina's primary election in August.

According to data from the American think group AS/COA, Massa will likely earn the most support in the Buenos Aires province, which is home to 16.6 million of the country's 46 million citizens, while Milei has overwhelming support in the country's more rural areas.

Milei has already stated his desire for Argentina to adopt the US dollar as its official currency. Milei has long been a skeptic of central banking as an economist and libertarian. His campaign promises include the abolition of Argentina's central bank.

Sources:

https://cointelegraph.com/news/argentina-presidential-candidate-push-cbdc-solve-hyperinflation-elections

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JFfXUvqMXk

https://www.as-coa.org/articles/poll-tracker-argentinas-2023-presidential-election