A Worldline View of Milei’s Political Adventures in the Thirteenth Century: His Indications for a Left-Right Scenario in a Right-Sensitive World
After his address, Milei is going to travel in a convertible to the presidential palace for a meeting with foreign guests. Prominent far-right figures will be among them: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; the head of Spain’s Vox party, Santiago Abascal; former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Bolsonaro-allied lawmakers, including his son. Milei called Brazil’s current president “obviously corrupt” and said that he wouldn’t be able to meet him if he became president. Lula dispatched his foreign minister to attend Milei’s inauguration. Also expected is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is making his first visit to Latin America since Russia’s invasion of his country in February 2022.
Milei had cast himself as a willing warrior against the creep of global socialism, much like former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he openly admires. During his visit to the U.S. last week, Milei paid a visit to another former U.S. leader, Bill Clinton. He also dispatched a diplomat with a long history of work in climate negotiations to the ongoing COP28 conference in Dubai, Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported, despite having insistently rejected humanity’s involvement in global warming. And he backtracked on plans to scrap the nation’s health ministry. His pragmatism may stem from the fact that he needs alliances with other parties for his agenda to be implemented in Congress, where his party is a distant third in number of seats held. He chose Patricia Bullrich, a longtime politician and first-round adversary from the coalition with the second most seats, to be his security minister, as well as her running mate, Luis Petri, as his defense minister. Still, there are signs that Milei has given up neither his defiance nor his radical plans to dismantle the state. After his swearing-in on Sunday morning, he intends to break tradition by delivering his inaugural address not to assembled lawmakers but to his supporters gathered outside the National Congress building — with his back turned to the legislature. He will announce his first actions, including a cut in public spending, as a result of the economic turmoil he is inheriting from outgoing President Fernndez. By April Argentina’s fiscal deficit, trade deficit, debt to the International Monetary Fund, and debts to the private sector will total $9.6 billion. “There’s no money,” is Milei’s common refrain. Already he has said he will eliminate multiple ministries, including those of culture, environment, women, and science and technology. He wants to meld the ministries of social development, labor and education together under a single ministry of human capital. Members of the unions it controls have said they won’t lose their wages, and this will likely cause fierce opposition to Milei.
Argentines disillusioned with the economic status quo — triple-digit inflation, four in 10 people in poverty, a plunging currency — proved receptive to an outsider’s outlandish ideas to remedy their woes and transform the nation. He won the election’s Nov. 19 second round decisively — and sent packing the Peronist political force that dominated Argentina for decades.
But after winning, he tapped Luis Caputo, a former Central Bank president, to be his economy minister and one of Caputo’s allies to helm the bank, appearing to have put his much-touted plans for dollarization on hold.
Argentine President Milei: “I Don’t Have a Marge” for Sterile Discussions, and How the Political Class Has Destroyed Our Lives
We do not have a margin for sterile discussions. Our country demands action, and immediate action,” he said. The country was at the verge of a crisis because of the political class. We don’t desire the hard decisions that will need to be made in coming weeks, but lamentably they didn’t leave us any option.”
The South American economy is suffering a 143% increase in inflation, the currency is worthless and four out of ten Argentines are poor. The nation has a huge fiscal deficit, with a trade deficit of $43 billion, plus a massive debt to the International Monetary Fund of over 50 billion dollars by April.
Milei often says there’s no money. He repeated it Sunday to explain why a gradualist approach to the situation, which would require financing, was not an option.
But he promised the adjustment would almost entirely affect the state rather than the private sector, and that it represented the first step toward regaining prosperity.
“We know that in the short term the situation will worsen, but soon we will see the fruits of our effort, having created the base for solid and sustainable growth,” he said.
Milei rose to fame on television with profanity-laden rants against the political caste. He parlayed his popularity into a congressional seat and then, just as swiftly, into a presidential run. The race for the presidency was upended when the self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalistic won in the August primaries.
Milei was sworn in as a lawmaker at the National Congress building, and the president placed a sash on him. Lawmakers chanted “Liberty!”
Afterward, he broke tradition by delivering his inaugural address not to assembled lawmakers but to his supporters gathered outside — with his back turned to the legislature. The political class has ruined our lives, he said, and blamed it on the outgoing government for putting Argentina on the path to hyperinflation.
“In the last 12 years, GDP per capita fell 15% in a context in which we accumulated 5,000% inflation. Over the last decade, we have lived in a state of deflation. The last rough patch before the reconstruction of Argentina is here. “It won’t be easy; 100 years of failure aren’t undone in a day. But it begins in a day, and today is that day.”
Source: In first speech, Argentina’s Javier Milei warns nation of painful economic shock
Javier Milei warns nation of painful economic shock in his first speech to the U.S. Congress – after he went to Mar-a-Lago
The crowd listened attentively and cheered occasionally, despite the bleak message by Milei. The yellow Gadsden flag that Milei and his supporters have adopted, is associated with the U.S. libertarian right.
Wenceslao said that every Argentine is trying to make it to the end of the month. “It’s been a very complicated situation. We hope that this will change once and for all.
The nation ponders whether the chainsaw-wielding, anti-establishment crusader from the campaign trail or a more moderate president-elect will govern during Milei’s term.
Milei had cast himself as a willing warrior against the creep of global socialism, much like former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he openly admires. But when Milei traveled to the U.S. last week, he didn’t visit Mar-a-Lago; rather, he took lunch with another former U.S. leader, Bill Clinton.
He also dispatched a diplomat with a long history of work in climate negotiations to the ongoing COP28 conference in Dubai, Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported, despite having insistently rejected humanity’s involvement in global warming. And he backtracked on plans to scrap the nation’s health ministry.
He made some comments to the political class during his inaugural address, saying that he had no intention of “persecute anyone or settle old vendettas” and that any union leader who supports his project will be “received with open arms.”
His moderation may stem from pragmatism, given the scope of the immense challenge before him, his political inexperience and need to sew up alliances with other parties to implement his agenda in Congress, where his party is a distant third in number of seats held.
He chose Patricia Bullrich, a longtime politician and first-round adversary from the coalition with the second most seats, to be his security minister, as well as her running mate, Luis Petri, as his defense minister.
Source: In first speech, Argentina’s Javier Milei warns nation of painful economic shock
Far-right Leaders in the Presidency of the Republic of Hungary, Spain, and Brazil: Milei’s Plan to Dismantle the State
Milei has not given up on his plan to dismantle the state. He said that he will eliminate many ministries, such as the culture, environment, and women. He wants to meld the ministries of social development, labor and education together under a single ministry of human capital.
Milei went to the presidential palace after his address. He will swear in his ministers on Sunday and meet with foreign politicians the next day.
The leaders of Hungary, Spain, and Brazil are some of the prominent far-right figures.