Argentina has a new president: the libertarian populist Milei was sworn in in Buenos Aires – under the eyes of Ukrainian President Zelensky and Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán.
The libertarian economist and political newcomer Javier Milei also won the election as President of Argentina because the people in the crisis country were persistently angry with the political leadership in view of the persistently desolate economic situation. Now he took office.
The 53-year-old vowed to work for the country in the presidential office “with loyalty and patriotism” “in the name of God, the fatherland and the Holy Gospels.”
Guests also from Europe
A group of very different leaders traveled to the Argentine capital for the inauguration: both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and the right-wing nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – the only head of government from the EU who continues to maintain close relations with the Kremlin – attended the ceremony. Also Santiago Abascal, the head of the right-wing extremist Vox party in Spain, the Spanish King Felipe VI. and Brazil’s former right-wing radical President Jair Bolsonaro as well as the heads of state of several neighboring countries were there.
The left-wing Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, harshly criticized by Milei in the past, stayed away from the ceremony and sent his foreign minister.
Pithy sayings in the election campaign
Milei prevailed in the runoff election in November with 55.6 percent against Economics Minister Sergio Massa. He had repeatedly made pithy statements, including talking about “shock therapy” with which he wanted to get South America’s second-largest economy up and running again. He has already sworn people to a tough and long austerity course. The country’s economic situation is desolate: inflation is expected to climb to up to 250 percent by the end of the year, and 40 percent of people live in poverty.
In addition to reforms in the financial sector, Milei wants to liberalize gun laws and privatize the education and health systems. He repeatedly said that he wanted to counteract the “corrupt and parasitic caste of politicians” with his model of freedom.
More moderate tones since the election victory
However, since his election victory three weeks ago, Milei has tried to maintain a moderate demeanor. He no longer spoke about dissolving the central bank and introducing the dollar as the national currency, which he had also called for. As economics minister, Milei nominated the renowned investment banker Luis Caputo, who was already a minister under the liberal-conservative President Mauricio Macri. The third-place candidate among the presidential candidates, Patricia Bullrich, is expected to become Interior Minister.
Argentina is heavily indebted to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). At the same time, the state apparatus is considered bloated. The local currency, the peso, continues to lose value against the dollar. Milei has already held talks with the US and the IMF about supporting the Argentine economy.
Anne Herrberg, ARD Rio de Janeiro, tagesschau, December 10, 2023 10:48 p.m