Who Is Argentina’s New President-Elect Javier Milei?
Vowing to fix his country's decaying economy, the right-wing libertarian called the "Argentine Trump" by many overthrew long-standing left-wing Peronism to win the election
Right-wing libertarian economist Javier Milei won the second round of elections in Argentina over the weekend with 55.69% of the votes, leading to a major shift in the country’s leadership. Milei beat Sergio Massa, from the left-wing Peronist movement, a party that has won 16 out of the past 20 elections in Argentina.
Called the “Argentine Trump” by many, 53-year-old Milei had his first political performance only two years ago as a national deputy representing the city of Buenos Aires for the political party La Libertad Avanza (Liberty Advances). Before that, he wrote economy-related books and was a TV and radio pundit.
Argentina has been experiencing an economic crisis for many years, with soaring poverty rates and extreme inflation, currently at 140%.
Today the reconstruction of Argentina begins. Today begins the end of Argentina’s decline.
Milei campaigned with drastic proposals to change the economic forecast. Among his main initiatives are adopting the US dollar as the country’s currency and eradicating Argentina’s Central Bank.
“Today the reconstruction of Argentina begins. Today begins the end of Argentina’s decline,” said Milei during his victory speech on Sunday. “We will be a world power again.”
In the geopolitical arena, Milei is expected to drive some serious changes too. He has vowed to move away from communist countries such as Brazil and China while creating greater ties with capitalist countries such as the United States.
Milei has said on various occasions that he is looking to convert to Judaism. He studies Torah regularly and is an avowed Israel supporter. Following Hamas’ terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Milei announced that he would make an early diplomatic visit to Israel. He also previously promised to move Argentina’s Embassy from Herzliya, just north of Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem as one of his first geopolitical moves when he takes office. Milei has also waved the Israeli flag in front of large crowds during his election campaigns.
Milei’s stance also represents a shift for South America, where some strong moves against Israel have taken place since Oct. 7. Bolivia broke off ties with Israel while Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors from Israel.
Internally, Milei has vowed to close several government ministries and to hold a referendum for the repeal of Argentina’s abortion legalization law, which was passed in 2020 after a long dispute.
However, Milei promised not to privatize the health system or the education system, and not to allow the free and unencumbered sale of weapons.
