A political earthquake has taken place in Argentina with the Argentines electing Far-right outsider Javier Milei, 53, as their new President. The Left-wing politics that has been spreading its wings in Latin America – Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico and Peru – has stumbled in Argentina. This has sent such joy among Ultra-right politicians that their most conspicuous leaders at the moment, former US President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolosonaro, did not waste time to congratulate Javier Milei on his spectacular victory proving pollsters wrong by securing nearly 56 per cent in the decisive run-off, ahead of his Left-wing rival, Sergio Massa, with 44 per cent. Trump needed such a turn of events close to his country which will elect its President a few months later. Hence, he mouthed his own slogan that resonates with Milei’s brand of politics: Milei would “Make Argentina Great Again.” Bolsonaro did not lag behind and said “hope would shine again in South America.”
In fact, Milei’s convincing victory represents the danger of Far-right political outfits forming governments in one European country after another and in other continents leading to the shrinkage of space for liberal, democratic politics. Perhaps, it is a commentary on the intolerant political credo of Milei that he is sometimes dubbed “El Loco” (the madman) by his critics. The madness of his agenda is evident in his promise of drastic changes, including ditching the local currency, the peso, for the US dollar and “blowing up” the central bank in order to prevent it from printing more money which, he argues, is driving inflation.
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He has also proposed cutting the welfare budget and slashing bureaucracy by closing the ministries of culture, women, health and education, among others. Spending for women’s uplift and empowerment, public health and education has become a taboo for Far-right politics. He iterated his political programme immediately after winning the election and said he would privatise Argentina’s state energy company, YPF, and the country’s public broadcasters. The privatisation mantra is one of the cardinal principles that Far-right politicians follow.
No wonder Milei unveiled his scheme of things in this direction by asserting that everything that “can be put” into the hands of the private sector, will be in the hands of the private sector. The only rider for his scheme of things regarding YPF is that before privatising it, the state-run energy company would have to be “rebuilt.” He did not, however, say how long that process could take.
The president-elect also made no bones about his plan to “cut down” public works to “zero,” while those already in progress would be put out to tender so that “there would be no more state spending.”
On social issues, his programmes are an echo of what Trump, Bolsonaro or any other Far-right politician wants to achieve – loosen gun laws, abolish abortion and allow the sale and purchase of human organs. Incidentally, abortion was legalised in Argentina in 2020.
It is an irony of history that Far-right outfits are catching the imagination of a majority of people because of the disastrous failure of the liberal, democratic model of governance. People are increasingly being disenchanted with the latter and in their quest for something new they are reposing their faith in Far-right leaders and parties.
The same pattern is being seen in Argentina. Milei’s victory comes amid a deep economic crisis which has seen annual inflation rise to 143 per cent, whereas 40 per cent of Argentines live in poverty. Milei has been able to aggressively sell his idea of “doing away with the political caste,” meaning defeating established parties with whom the voters were fed up. The hallmark of Far-right politics is precisely to cash in on the anger of the people with the failure of the political establishment to deliver.
He struck a chord in the people’s heart when he exhorted the electorate to stop the process of the impoverishment of Argentina which is now ranked 130 with about half the population being poor and another 10 per cent destitute.
Milei is expected to face roadblocks to his extreme measures as his party controls just 38 of 257 seats in Argentina’s lower house and eight of 72 in the senate. His showmanship, political rhetoric and weird ideas of tantric sex which he loves to articulate in public may have swayed the people, but Argentina has embarked on a risky journey under this man.
