The challenge of winning the elections and defeating the political forces that emerged decades ago was just the first Herculean task for libertarian Javier Milei, the president of Argentina who was elected in the early hours of Monday with 55, 69% of the votes, 11 points more than his rival Sergio. Mass. The second, third, fourth and so on will consist of bypassing a largely hostile Congress, bypassing labor unions, social movements, the Catholic Church and even part of the business world to implement a neoliberal agenda that is yet to has never been seen before in the country – and perhaps in the world.
“Thank you to all good citizens for the miracle of the election of a libertarian president. Today begins the end of Argentina’s decadence, the impoverishing model of the ubiquitous state, which has taken us from the largest power in the world to the 130th.” Milei said at the Libertador Hotel in Buenos Aires in the victory speech.
“The situation in Argentina is critical, there is no place for lukewarmness, nor for half-heartedness, there is no place for gradualism. We must be drastic in this reconstruction,” he promised.
To rebuild Argentina, however, the new tenant of Casa Rosada will have to deal with a congress dominated by the defeated coalition, Unión Pela Pátria, whose main party, the center-left Peronist, has a vision almost opposite to his . Of the 257 deputies, 107 are linked to this Peronism, Massa, defeated on Sunday, Alberto Fernández, former president, and Cristina Kirchner, still the most prominent leader in this field.
However, the Juntos Por El Cambio coalition, led by Proposta Republicana, a center-right party led by Maurício Macri, Fernández’s predecessor as president, has 94 parliamentarians. However, it is estimated that despite the agreement between Macri and Milei before and after the elections, only about two-thirds of them side with the 39 libertarian deputies, the party of the new president, in strategic votes.
Therefore, some of the elected official’s radical proposals will most likely be subject to long and tense negotiations. And in the Senate the balance of power is even more unfavorable for the ultra-liberals.
The first negotiations took place yesterday: the meeting between the elected and outgoing president in Casa Rosada scheduled for 12:30 was canceled because the two could not reach an agreement on the points to be discussed. The meeting was scheduled for a date yet to be announced.
Milei’s relationship with trade unions and social movements, which have traditionally been influential in the country, will obviously not be easy. But so do religious sectors, especially after the candidate’s attacks on Pope Francis. Even among business people, the new president’s liberal ideas have aroused interest but also fear.
However, Milei has the legitimacy of his victory last Sunday in his favor, much better than expected: in addition to the eleven-point lead over Massa, he received another three million votes and had the upper hand in 21 of the country’s 24 districts.
In this way, he says he will impose his ideas, based on “a limited state, on private property and free trade, everyone who wants to come, wherever he comes from, is invited to make us a power.” “Argentina has a future, but this future is liberal,” he assured.
At the door of the Libertador Hotel, where Milei held meetings with potential new ministers on “day zero” of his presidency, friends Santiago and Daniel referred precisely to “the closets” [elites políticas] what the new president will have to deal with. “He has made the castes very scared, but the castes will be there, but they will not be able to do anything. He has won, he has the people on his side, willing to help him implement the policies he wants,” Santiago said. , an intern at a bank.
“I can’t believe we are experiencing this. A liberal in Argentina now just wanted to see and greet him after so many years of crises and robberies,” Daniel added. however, neither he, nor Santiago, nor even the journalists saw the president-elect all morning.
Comments
International reactions to the libertarian’s triumph came from all sides, even from countries such as Brazil and China, with which Milei said he had no intention of maintaining relations. “Democracy is the voice of the people and it must always be respected,” said Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, the main sponsor of Argentina’s entry into the emerging bloc, the BRICS, and an outspoken supporter of Massa.
“My congratulations to the Argentine institutions for the conduct of the electoral process and to the Argentine people who participated in an orderly and peaceful manner in the election day. I wish the new government much happiness and success. Argentina is a great country and deserves all our respect Brazil will always be available to work with our Argentine brothers,” he continued.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said China “wants to work with Argentina and continue the friendship between the countries with win-win cooperation.” “China has always attached great importance to the development of relations between countries from a strategic and long-term perspective.”
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sent messages to Buenos Aires. “We hope to clarify numerous issues regarding our bilateral ties. “We take note of a series of statements made by Mr. Milei during the election campaign, but we will focus and judge the President-elect solely on the statements made after his inauguration.”
In the campaign, the winning candidate emphasized that he would not speak to communists once elected and sided with the United States in supporting Ukraine, which is at war with Russia.
Peskov added that Russia will welcome with “respect the election of the Argentine people” and show support for “the development of relations between the countries.”
White House National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan congratulated “Milei and the people of Argentina on holding free and fair elections.” “We hope to build a solid relationship based on our commitment to human rights, democratic values and transparency.”
Markets
In the markets, shares of Argentine companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange soared after Milei’s victory. Exchange Trade Funds rose 13% in US pre-market trading despite uncertainty over the new administration’s plans.
On the currency market, even with yesterday’s National Sovereignty Day, reactions were also positive: according to the Clarín newspaper, the blue dollar (unofficial), which best reflects the relationship between supply and demand, retreated. up to 950 pesos.
10 promises from “El Loco”
1 – Implode the Central Bank
For Milei, the closure of the Central Bank is “a moral obligation” that will, however, require the dollarization of the economy.
2 – Dollarize the economy
Milei argues that the only way to end inflation is to generate a shock with salaries in dollars.
3 – Privatize the private
“Anything that can be in the hands of the private sector will be in the hands of the private sector,” Milei promised. Public radio, television, news agencies and oil companies will be privatized.
4 – Severing relations with Brazil and China
During his campaign, Milei said he had no intention of talking to prisoners, referring to Lula, president of Brazil, nor did he intend to do business with communists, referring to China. Brazil and China are responsible for two-thirds of Argentina’s foreign trade.
5 – Abandon Mercosur and BRICS
In August, Milei declared that it was necessary to “eliminate” Mercosur, a trading bloc of South American countries, because it “harms the good Argentinians.” The candidate also promised to remove Argentina from the BRICS, a group of emerging countries of which the country has been a member since this year.
6 – Reduce the number of ministries
The new president wants an executive branch with eight ministers, one of which, Human Capital, will include education, health, social development and labor.
7 – Make arms sales more flexible
Milei wants to make the sale of weapons more flexible and give the armed forces internal security tasks, which is currently prohibited for them.
8 – Reduce health care subsidies
In healthcare, Milei pledged to stop subsidizing supply, the hospitals, and start subsidizing demand, the patients.
9 – Ban abortion and regulate the sale of organs
Milei wants to ‘protect the child from conception’ and therefore ban abortion, which has been legal since 2020. “If the sale of organs were free on the market, transplants would work much better,” he also argued.
10 – Closing museum in memory of military crimes
Victoria Villarruel, elected vice president, wants to close the Museum of Memory, located in the detention and extermination center during the dictatorship, and convert it into a military school.
Source: DN
