Comment: Milei’s voters will be the biggest losers

Milei’s election victory in Argentina is a drama for one of the most progressive countries in the region, says Anne Herrberg. Those who voted for him will feel this particularly painfully.

Anger won. The frustration with a country in constant crisis, with 140 percent inflation, in which the queues in front of the soup kitchens are getting longer and longer. Anger at the ruling Peronists, who were no longer able to provide political answers, also won, while pictures of politicians on luxury yachts made the rounds. This anger is understandable.

Javier Milei, the outsider who likes to appear with a chainsaw and rail against the elitist and corrupt political caste, has become an outlet – especially for the younger generation, who know nothing other than crisis. It is understandable and at the same time a huge drama in a country that has always been proud of its social achievements.

A new representation for the global right

With the historic landslide victory of the libertarian economist Milei, the global extreme right also gains a new bastion on the American continent. Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro were among the first to congratulate him. They have shown how a democracy can slowly be dismantled. This could now also be the case for Argentina, one of the most politically progressive countries in the entire region.

The process of coming to terms with the military dictatorship is viewed internationally as exemplary. Now Milei’s vice-president will be a woman who trivializes the dictatorship. Victoria Villarruel is well connected to the international right and is now set to become the strong woman for security and defense. But that’s not the only thing that’s dangerous.

Hardly any experience, hardly any staff

It is uncertain how the anti-establishment politician Milei actually wants to govern: the economist himself has hardly any political experience and hardly any qualified personnel to fill key positions. He doesn’t have a majority in Congress. Not even with the support of part of the defeated right-wing conservative opposition around ex-President Mauricio Macri, which may have been decisive in the election. Macri will probably try to plan his comeback through the back door. The caste sends its regards.

But it is unclear whether Milei can be put on a leash. Experts fear for the country’s governability. Because hardly any economist believes that Milei’s radical promises – above all the abolition of the national currency, the peso, and the introduction of the US dollar – can be implemented.

Ultimately, the announced massive social cuts are likely to lead to great resistance on the streets – not just from opposition trade unions and social movements. The cuts will also have a painful impact on a large proportion of Milei’s voters. Voters who – we have experienced this ourselves – do not believe that Milei is implementing his radical agenda one-to-one.

Milei’s voters will be the biggest losers

And how does the libertarian populist react when his popularity suddenly wanes? The 53-year-old, who was severely abused by his parents during his childhood, is considered to be extremely emotionally unstable. Some simply think he’s crazy. Others at least consider it erratic and unpredictable. Milei himself stated several times in interviews that he believed he was on a biblical mission. His most important advisors are his sister Karina and his dogs – huge mastiffs that he had cloned.

There are still almost three weeks until Milei takes office – which feels like an eternity in Argentina’s unstable situation. The government that was voted out of office has virtually no control left. It is feared that the value of the peso will once again experience a drastic decline. Argentina is facing turbulent times. But that’s exactly what the voters voted for. Because what you can’t accuse Milei of is that he kept his intentions a secret. The great tragedy: the very people who had the greatest hope in him will be the biggest losers.