(CNN) — Javier Milei has won Argentina’s presidential elections in provisional results, wrenching his country to the right with a bombastic anti-establishment campaign that drew comparisons to that of former US President Donald Trump – all against the backdrop of one of the world’s highest inflation rates.

His rival Sergio Massa conceded the run-off vote on Sunday evening in a brief speech even before official results were announced. “Milei is the president elected for the next 4 years,” said Massa, adding that he had already called Milei to congratulate him.

Provisional results so far show Milei with over 55% of votes (13,781,154) with more than 94% of votes counted, according to data from the country’s National Electoral Chamber, which has not yet declared an official winner.

Milei’s victory marks an extraordinary rise for the former TV pundit, who entered the race as a political outsider on a promise to “break up with the status quo” – exemplified by Sergio Massa.

His campaign promise to dollarize Argentina, if enacted, is expected to thrust the country into new territory: no country of Argentina’s size has previously turned over the reins of its own monetary policy to Washington decisionmakers.

Shortly after the results were announced, Milei was greeted by cheers and thunderous applause from his supporters as he took to the stage and gave a fiery speech, pledging to take the country into a new political era.

“Today we turn the page on our history and we return to the path that we should never have lost,” Milei said. “Today we retake the path that made this country great.”

Milei, a social conservative with ties to the American right, opposes abortion rights and has called climate change a “lie of socialism.” He has promised to slash government spending by closing Argentina’s ministries of culture, education, and diversity, and by eliminating public subsidies.

“Make Argentina great again!” Trump posted on his platform Truth Social Sunday, in reaction to Milei’s win. “I am very proud of you,” he wrote.

Similarities to Trump have not gone unnoticed in the United States as it prepares for its own presidential elections. Milei succeeded in attracting attention at home not only because of his political style – including wielding chainsaws and raging outbursts – but also because of the novelty of his positions and eagerness to upset the status quo.

Echoing the Trumpian slogan, ‘Drain the swamp’, Milei’s supporters shout “¡¡Qué se vayan todos!!” which translates as “May they all leave!” – an expression of fury at politicians from both sides of the spectrum. Argentina’s left is currently in government, following rule by the right from 2015 to 2019.

Outside of his controversial plan for dollarization, Milei’s political program includes slashing regulations on gun control and transferring authority over the penitentiary system from civilians to the military; both measures part of a tough-on-crime approach. He proposes using public funds to support families who choose to educate their children privately and even privatizing the health sector, which in Argentina has always been in public hands.

Several outspoken comments landed Milei in hot water, without deterring his most ardent supporters. He triggered an uproar when it appeared Milei was in favor of opening a market for organ transplants, although he later retracted his declarations. He was similarly forced to apologize after calling Pope Francis, who is from Argentina and is seen as an icon of progressive politics in South America, “an envoy of Satan” in 2017.

Milei’s unexpected political ascent will be closely scrutinized around the world as a potential sign of a resurgence of far-right populism in the region. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro endorsed Milei’s candidacy, while leftist leaders in the region – including current Brazilian leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro – abandoned a tradition of non-intervention to back Massa in the election run-up.

Public opinion polls had shown the two candidates neck-and-neck in recent weeks.

The candidacy of Massa, a lifelong politician, came to represent Argentina’s political establishment over the course of the race against Milei. Inflation reached painful heights during his tenture as economy minister, at 142% year on year, but Massa argued that the current government’s actions were working to temper the pain – an argument that failed to convince voters exhausted by a cost-of-living crisis.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

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The violent fallout from the assassination of Haiti’s President, Jovenel Moise, was evident on Friday near his private residence in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Burned out cars, spent bullet casings, bloodstains and bullet-pocked walls were what remained of a shootout between the police and some of the suspected assassins on Route de Kenscoff.

Haitian authorities told CNN the three burned out cars belonged to members of the armed group who assassinated Moise early on Wednesday morning.

The armed group are “professional killers,” consisting of more than two dozen people, including two American citizens and retired members of the Colombian military, authorities have said.

But as more details begin to emerge of the people who killed Moise, little is known about the suspected masterminds and their motivation for the attack.

Police have so far detained 17 suspects in connection to the fatal shooting and a mass, country-wide manhunt is underway for at least eight additional suspects.

Haitian officials have given conflicting accounts and numbers for those killed following the assassination attack. Citing figures from Haitian police, the office of acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph told CNN that three suspects were killed in a shootout with authorities.

As the pursuit of those responsible intensifies, details have emerged relating to the arrest of 11 armed men in the grounds of the Taiwan embassy in the capital Port-au-Prince on Thursday.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou told CNN the embassy called local police after security guards reported “a group of armed suspects” entering embassy grounds. She said 11 suspects, described in a separate foreign ministry statement as “mercenaries,” were arrested at 4 p.m. inside the embassy without resistance and only a few doors and windows were damaged.

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry did not give information about the nationalities of those taken into custody, and it is not yet clear if the 11 suspects are among the 17 people detained by police.

With tension high in the capital, crowds of people took to the streets Thursday night, burning cars and demanding justice. For weeks, Port-au-Prince has been reeling from violence which has claimed the lives of many citizens. Moise’s death has left a power vacuum and deepened the turmoil from the violence, a growing humanitarian crisis, and a worsening Covid-19 epidemic.

Much of the public anger has so far centered on the foreign nationals arrested in connection to the shooting. Late Thursday, Elections Minister Mathias Pierre told CNN two American citizens were among the 17 people arrested. Pierre identified the men as James Solages and Joseph Vincent, both naturalized citizens from Haiti.

Separately, on Thursday, Police Chief Charles said 15 of those detained were Colombian nationals. He paraded some of the suspects at a press conference, alongside an array of military style weaponry.

In a statement, Colombia’s Defense Ministry said at least six of the suspected attackers were retired members of the Colombian Army and Interpol had requested further information from the Colombian government and the National Police.

Colombian National Police Chief General Jorge Vargas added that two alleged attackers, killed in an operation by the Haiti Police, were retired officers of the Colombian Army, and at least four alleged attackers arrested by the Haiti Police were retired soldiers.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price described the situation in Haiti as “evolving rapidly,” and said the US was preparing to send investigative assistance to the Caribbean country, in response to a request from Haiti’s government.

What’s next for Haiti

It was 1 a.m. when the attackers stormed the President’s private residence in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Haiti’s capital, shooting Moise 16 times, according to former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. First lady Martine Moise, who was also shot in the attack, was evacuated to intensive care in a hospital in Miami. Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, Bocchit Edmond, said he believes the first lady is “now out of danger.”

Following the assassination, Joseph, the acting Prime Minister, declared a “state of siege” in Haiti, closing the country’s borders and imposing martial law. He appealed to the public to “keep helping us” and “if you see something, say something.”

The assassination leaves a huge power vacuum in Haiti. Its parliament is effectively defunct and two men are simultaneously claiming to be the country’s rightful leader. Joseph has not been confirmed by parliament — which has not sat since 2020 — and he was in the process of being replaced by Ariel Henry, whom the President appointed shortly before his death. Henry told the Haitian newspaper le Nouvelliste that “Claude Joseph is not prime minister, he is part of my government.”

Moise, 53, was a former banana exporter and divisive figure in Haitian politics. He spent most of the past year waging a political war with the opposition over the terms of his presidency.

For now, it isn’t immediately clear who will replace him. Judge Jean Wilner Morin, President of the National Association of Haitian Judges, told CNN the line of presidential succession in the country is now murky.

Throughout his presidency, Moise had repeatedly failed to hold elections at local and national levels, leaving much of the country’s governing infrastructure empty. A constitutional referendum is set to be held in September, alongside the presidential and legislative elections. Municipal and local elections have been scheduled for January 16, 2022, the official electoral calendar also showed.

Many in the country had disputed Moise’s right to continue serving in the presidency this year.

While the US, United Nations and Organization of American States supported his claim to a fifth year in office, critics say he should have stepped down on February 7, citing a constitutional provision that starts the clock once a president is elected, rather than when he takes office.

Moise, however, claimed his five-year term should end in 2022 because he wasn’t sworn in until February 2017. His inauguration was delayed over allegations of voter fraud during the 2015 election, which led to a presidential runoff that was postponed twice over what authorities called threats and “security concerns.”

This is playing out under the backdrop of extreme violence in Haiti’s capital, with rival groups battling one another or the police for control of the streets, displacing tens of thousands of people and worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic has been worsening in Haiti. UNICEF, the United Nations’ children’s agency, said Thursday that Haiti was the only country in the Western Hemisphere to not have received a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

At the same time, the country is facing a dire economic situation. Its economy had been contracting even before the pandemic and shrunk further 3.8% in 2020, with about 60% of the population now living in poverty, according to the World Bank.

According to UNICEF, more than 1.5 million children are currently in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in Haiti. “The new wave of violent incidents that may arise after the killing of the President of Haiti could further exacerbate the humanitarian needs and hinder humanitarian access to the most vulnerable groups, leaving thousands of affected people with little to no assistance,” UNICEF warned.

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