The election of Javier Milei is a verdict on the policy to date
Argentina is getting a president who is as eccentric as he is extremist. However, the country did not vote for Javier Milei, but against "business as usual".
The majority is clear: on November 19, 55.69% of Argentinian voters cast their ballots for the libertarian Javier Milei in a run-off election, electing him as president by a clear margin over his opponent, the incumbent Peronist Minister of Economy and Finance Sergio Massa.
Milei, who only entered the political stage two years ago with the founding of his party "La Libertad Avanza" (Freedom Advances), has so far attracted international attention above all for his crude mixture of extremist positions and personal eccentricity. His trademark during the election campaign was his tangled mane of hair, leather jacket and chainsaw during performances accompanied by loud rock music, during which he called for the abolition of all privileges of the political establishment, which he described as a "caste".
The basic lines of his election platform are the liberalization of the markets, the abolition of the central bank and the dollarization of the economy. The more polemical demands include the liberalization of the organ trade and gun laws as well as the abolition of the right to abortion. Milei denies human responsibility for climate change and described the Argentinian Pope Francis as a representative of evil on earth. His future Vice President Victoria Villarruel, the daughter of a military officer, advocates a new culture of remembrance in which not only the civilian victims of the military dictatorship are to be remembered, but also the victims of left-wing terrorism in military circles - a much-criticized position in a country that suffered enormously under the brutal military dictatorship.
Peronist government with devastating economic record voted out of office
But why did Argentinians vote for the economist, who has made a living as a rock musician, stand-up comedian, economic commentator and tantra sex coach in the past? In the first round of voting in October, Sergio Massa was still well ahead of Milei with a lead of 7 percentage points. However, the future president managed to mobilize most of the voters of the candidates who dropped out of the race in October. However, they did not primarily vote for Javier Milei, but against Sergio Massa and Peronism of the Kirchnerist variety. The outgoing government leaves behind a country with a record inflation rate of 143 percent, no foreign exchange reserves and an empty treasury.
Argentina, which was one of the richest countries in the world 100 years ago, has natural gas, oil, lithium and other natural resources as well as wind, sun and fresh water, making it ideal for the production of green hydrogen. It can produce food for ten times its population and yet over 40 percent of the population live in poverty. The reasons for this disastrous development lie in a chronic budget deficit caused by a bloated state apparatus, but also in the institutionalized corruption and nepotism that has run the country into the ground.
Voters want an economic awakening
The majority of Argentinian voters do not support far-right positions, but are calling for a liberalization of the economy. The fear of "business as usual", of the progressive decadence of the Argentine economy and society, was greater than the fear of taking a leap into the unknown with the crazy, extremist and eccentric Javier Milei, who now faces enormous challenges without administrative experience. This is a devastating verdict for the politics of the past decades.
The newly elected president's party only has around 20 percent of the seats in the future Chamber of Deputies and 10 percent of the seats in the Senate. This means that politics in the coming years will be characterized by constant negotiation processes. Given Milei's extremist positions, this is a good sign for Argentinian democracy. It remains to be seen whether the potential partners will be able to exert a moderating influence on Javier Milei in order to weaken extremist positions and pave a path for the country that is viable for the majority of Argentinians.
Susanne Käss heads the foreign office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Argentina, based in Buenos Aires.
Despite his right-wing populist rhetoric and links to right-wing extremism, the election of Javier Milei as president of Argentina can be seen as a rejection of the status quo and a call for change. His win came after a disappointing economic performance by the previous Peronist government, characterized by high inflation, lack of foreign exchange reserves, and a debt-ridden treasury. As a result, many Argentinians sought an alternative, even if it meant electing a controversial figure like Milei.
Source: www.ntv.de
