Javier Milei, an ebullient Argentine economist with wild hair and an avid fan base, was once known for his theatrical and acerbic televised takedowns of the country's political elite. Now he has a shot of taking them down at the ballot box.

The admirer of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who was elected to the lower house last year, has surged in opinion polls ahead of Argentina's 2023 presidential election with attacks on the political mainstream and pledges for total economic freedom.

"In terms of political logic, I am a mistake, because what I have come to do is in fact stamp out the privileges of politicians," Milei told Reuters in an interview in Buenos Aires during the popular monthly lottery he holds to give away his lawmaker salary.

His abrupt rise has been underpinned by years of economic chaos that have left the once affluent South American country with inflation near 60%, four in ten people in poverty, a feeble peso currency, capital controls and recurrent debt crises.

Milei has looked to target voters disenchanted with both the ruling Peronist coalition and the main conservative opposition.

According to a recent voting intentions survey by Ricardo Rouvier & Asociados, Milei, a self-described libertarian, received the support of 37.7%, second only to potential candidate Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, the centrist mayor of Buenos Aires city, with 44.7%.