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Javier Milei | |
|---|---|
 Milei dressed as "General Ancap" at an anime convention | |
| Born | 22 October 1970 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Nationality | Argentine |
| Political orientation | Anarcho-capitalism Right-libertarianism Neoliberalism Zionism |
| Political party | Libertarian |
Javier Gerardo Milei (born 22 October 1970) is a far-right Argentine politician and President of Argentina since 10 December 2023. He is an admirer of Milton Friedman.[1]
Presidential campaign[edit | edit source]
Milei planned to stop Argentina from joining BRICS if he won the 2023 presidential election. He wanted to align with the United States and Israel,[2] wanted to return Argentina to how it was in 1900 and make the U.S. dollar the national currency. His platform included privatizing healthcare and state-owned companies, ending social spending, and abolishing the central bank.[3]
He ran against Economy Minister Sergio Massa in the presidential election. He claimed he had plans to privatize Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales, Energia Argentina, Telam, as well as public radio and public television among others.[4]
Milei won the primary elections in August. In the first round, he lost to Sergio Massa with 30% of the vote compared to Massa's 37%. The final round was on 19 November.[5]
In the runoff round of the presidential election he won 55.69 percent of the vote compared to Massa's 44.3 percent.[4] Donald Trump and Elon Musk celebrated his victory in the election.[6]
In 2023, Milei claimed he intended to convert to Judaism once his political career ended.[7]
Presidency[edit | edit source]
In December 2023, Milei announced the Decree of Necessity and Urgency and the Omnibus Law, allowing him to pass decrees without approval from Congress. His decrees have promoted foreign investment and privatize the economy. He cut diplomatic relations with Cuba and Venezuela, refused to join BRICS, and resumed talks with the IMF.[1]
By the time of January 2024, the poverty rate in Argentina had increased from 49.5 percent to 57.4 percent. Extreme poverty grew to 15 percent.[8]
On 24 January 2024, 1.5 million workers went on a general strike. While Milei was visiting the Zionist Entity, the courts ruled to suspend his Omnibus Law.[1] That same year, Milei attended a World Economic Forum conference, where he gave a speech denouncing all "collectivist" ideologies, "whether they proclaim to be openly communist, fascist, socialist, social democrats, national socialists, Christian democrats, neo-Keynesians, progressives, populists, nationalists or globalists"; and declaring that "there are no major differences" between them all. This fascistic rant was well-received in Davos.[9]
Political beliefs[edit | edit source]
Milei claims to oppose all state intervention even if it is to solve problems such as poverty and unemployment. He wants to abolish Argentina's central bank and make the U.S. dollar its national currency. He also falsely believes that previous Argentine administrations were socialist.[6] Despite identifying as a libertarian, he wants to strengthen the military and give the police more authority to arrest people.[3]
Milei claimed that the Argentine military dictatorship disappeared under 9,000 people instead of the widely accepted 30,000.[5]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 Eduardo Rodriguez (2024-02-15). "Argentina is NOT for sale! Argentinians rise up against Milei’s neoliberal plunder" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2024-02-24.
- ↑ Ben Norton (2023-08-25). "BRICS expanding into economic powerhouse: Petrodollar under threat" Geopolitical Economy Report. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 Ben Norton (2023-05-25). "Argentina adopting US dollar to fight inflation would be ‘insane’ neocolonialism, says economist Ha-Joon Chang" Geopolitical Economy Report. Archived from the original on 2023-07-25.
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 "Argentina's president-elect foresees public spending adjustment, privatizations" (2023-11-20). Xinhua. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ↑ Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 Manuel Bertoldi (2023-10-23). "10 points about Massa’s victory in Argentina" People's Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2023-10-25.
- ↑ Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 Janine Jackson, Mark Weisbrot (2023-11-28). "Milei Is ‘Really as Extreme as You Get in Right-Wing Libertarian Ideas’" FAIR. Archived from the original on 2023-11-29.
- ↑ "Presidential frontrunner reveals Judaism conversion plans" (2023-11-19). RT. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
- ↑ Andrea Lobo (2024-03-01). "IMF, White House applaud Milei’s “shock therapy” as Argentina’s poverty rate nears 60 percent" World Socialist Web Site.
- ↑ “This is how we come to the point where, by using different names or guises, a good deal of the generally accepted ideologies in most Western countries are collectivist variants, whether they proclaim to be openly communist, fascist, socialist, social democrats, national socialists, Christian democrats, neo-Keynesians, progressives, populists, nationalists or globalists.
Ultimately, there are no major differences. They all say that the state should steer all aspects of the lives of individuals. They all defend a model contrary to the one that led humanity to the most spectacular progress in its history.”
"Davos 2024: Special address by Javier Milei, President of Argentina" (2024-18-01). World Economic Forum.See also, Andrea Lobo (2024-19-01). "Oligarchs in Davos applaud fascist rant by Argentine President Milei" World Socialist Web Site.