Sergio Massa: Argentina economy chief charms voters with tax cuts and payouts

FILE PHOTO: Argentina's presidential candidate Sergio Massa gestures during a press conference a day after the first round of Argentina's presidential election, in Buenos Aires, Argentina October 23, 2023. REUTERS/Cristina Sille

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's Peronist Economy Minister Sergio Massa may be about to pull off a political miracle: win a presidential election despite being at the helm of the country's worst economic crisis in decades and with inflation nearing 150%.

The 51-year-old political wheeler-dealer pulled off an unexpected first place in the South American country's first-round vote in October and is neck-and-neck with libertarian rival Javier Milei ahead of Sunday's run-off, something unthinkable just months ago when the government looked dead and buried.