Javier Milei, an Argentine libertarian, is rising in the polls

Drama is never far away from Argentinian politics. This year looks set to be particularly exciting. In October Argentines will go to the polls to elect a new government. For months the leading candidate to oppose the current Peronist government looked to be Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, the technocratic mayor of Buenos Aires, the capital. However with annual inflation at a 31-year-high of 104%, the widely used black-market peso depreciating in value and a severe drought affecting vast swathes of the countryside, it is clear that Argentines are looking for a radical shift.

Within the coalition of the centre-right opposition, known as Together for Change, Patricia Bullrich, a hawkish former security minister, is now a potential challenger to Mr Larreta for the candidacy. But it is Javier Milei, a libertarian economist and congressman, who seems to be benefiting the most from the economic chaos. Argentine polls are notoriously unreliable. However Mr Milei, a 52-year-old outsider, is currently leading in some polls as the most popular individual politician, ahead of the primaries in August to determine which candidates run. (The combined potential vote share of Mr Larreta and Ms Bullrich would, however, still beat him.) His support is highest with men under the age of 30.