Argentina, December 2025. The end of 2025 finds President Javier Milei in a delicate political position, facing both the traditional year-end assessment and the conclusion of the first half of his term. An analysis of public opinion, based on ten national polls conducted in December, reveals a persistent trend: while a majority of society views the current situation as negative, there remains an expectation of future improvement. The surveys, published by the ClarÃn newspaper, clearly reflect this tension. On average, 58% of respondents rate the country's situation as bad or worse than a year ago, while a significantly smaller percentage sees the present as positive. President Milei's personal image mirrors this distribution almost exactly, with 46.2% positive and 47.9% negative ratings. Despite these close figures, the President holds a clear advantage within his own political camp. Milei is the libertarian leader with the best image, surpassing Vice President Victoria Villarruel, who averages around 30% positive ratings, as well as other figures from his space. Internally, figures like Patricia Bullrich, Manuel Adorni, Luis Caputo, and Diego Santilli stand out, all with lower image ratings than the President. For now, this negative sentiment has not found a capable opposition force to capitalize on it, in a scenario marked by the weakness of Peronism, the fragmentation of the opposition, and the absence of competitive national leadership. Regarding economic expectations, the outlook remains fragile. Although optimism improved after the electoral victory, those who believe the economy will rebound in 2026 barely match those who anticipate a deterioration. This balance between optimists and pessimists confirms that the government retains political credit, but also that this support is not unlimited and depends on concrete results in the short and medium term. According to the polls, 57.9% of respondents feel worse off than a year ago, compared to only 29.3% who feel better. A similar pattern is seen when asked about the country's direction: 41% consider it correct, while 44.1% deem it incorrect.
