Resisting Milei: Extraordinary Argentine Mobilization

Throughout much of the Americas, we have seen a trend of economic policy failures, resulting in mass inflation and poverty, generating a rise in populism and leaders espousing ideals and promises to the people. The promises that the economic woes of the average citizen will be remedied by electing a leader who will fight for them have fueled anti-establishment and libertarian political parties’ policies and the successes of “populist'' leaders. However, just about a month into Argentine President Javier Milei’s term, the Argentine population mobilized unprecedentedly, demonstrating that not everyone is happy with how Milei’s reforms and policies have impacted the economy.

Argentina has been a stunning example of the trend of poor economies resulting in political change. With the late November election of 53-year-old ‘far-right’ Javier Milei as president, the status quo was disrupted, with Milei securing 56% of the votes, the most votes in any election in the history of Argentina.  From the start, Milei expressed his rejection of typical politics in his speech delivered to his supporters outside of the National Congress building instead of to lawmakers, as typical. This act demonstrated Milei’s “commitment” to the laypeople and his anti-establishment view. 

However, Milei’s electoral success wasn’t wholly unexpected, with the COVID-19 pandemic fueling the rise of isolation, political radicalization, and shutdown of businesses, schools, and other spaces worldwide. Like many other countries, the former Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, issued a nationwide lockdown at the beginning of 2020. Still, by 2022, the public opinion on President Fernández in late 2022 had 60% of respondents stating high disapproval, according to Statista. Milei criticized Fernández’s policies, particularly those concerning the economy and restrictions, with the rhetoric of asserting himself as a true representative of the majority. For much of the population, Milei’s commitment to dismantling the old political and economic system was warranted, with a projected 150% inflation rate and 40% of the population living in poverty. At the end of 2023, this annual inflation rate amounted to 211.4%, the steepest rate in Latin America.

The policies and win of Milei were celebrated by other far-right leaders, including former President Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil. In fact, Trump congratulated Milei on Truth Social for his win, declaring that he would “Make Argentina Great Again.” Colombian, Chilean, and European far-right politicians further commended the victory in Argentina, believing Milei’s presidency would issue an era of “right-wing conquests.” 

It is still just the beginning of Milei’s campaign, as Milei has only been in office for a little over a month, so we have yet to see how the rest of his presidency will pan out. However, Milei has acted fast in implementing his policies and reforms. He started by cutting federal spending by laying off thousands of government workers and reducing the number of federal ministries by half. Further, he devalued the Argentinian peso by 54%, increasing inflation. However, Milei had warned this would happen in his inauguration speech - declaring that the situation would worsen before it improved, stating that “there will be light at the end of the road” in an attempt to soothe and give optimism to the Argentines. 

In recent news, on Wednesday, January 24, amid two major reforms pushed by Milei, tens of thousands of workers protested the economic austerity reforms in a strike started by the most prominent national union, Confederación General del Trabajo. The day-long strike demonstrated the biggest show of opposition to Milei’s plans since coming into office and the “unprecedented mobilization” of the Argentine people. The first reform, the extensive Omnibus bill, would reduce regulations, privatize companies, weaken unions, and other controversial measures. The sheer size and amount of content in the bill mean that it is likely a large number of Argentines are unaware of what exactly Milei has proposed, where some say the anti-regulatory administration is driving the country into a “grave crisis.” Still, others see the economic freedom that could result from the bill. 

Milei’s other proposition, his “Mega-decree,” focuses on economic deregulation and further privatization of state-run companies. Workers in many sectors - including transportation, construction, and energy - attended the Buenos Aires protest, proclaiming the overhauls would “weaken protections” for workers and those in poverty. In response, Milei declared to local media that the strike organizers proved that there were “two Argentinas.” “One wants to stay behind, in the past, in decadence,” he said, referring to his protestors. 

Milei’s campaign exhibits the importance and success of running on a predominantly economic platform, where a recent trend displays that voters tend to care more about the economy over other issues. In the U.S., for example, the priorities of the people are demonstrated in a 2023 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, where the percentage of people who say inflation is a very big problem was 65%, followed by the affordability of healthcare, at 64%, higher than that of gun violence (60%), climate change (39%), and terrorism (34%). 

While Milei’s policies seem to align with populism, a question remains: Is Milei’s success due to embracing the policies of the far right, or is it more so a consequence of intense economic malaise? The rise of proclaimed populist leaders, including Trump and Bolsonaro, coincided with their predecessors’ role or presence during a period of economic strife, including high inflation and unemployment. The rise of Trump, for instance, who is described as a populist president, followed the 2008 financial crisis under Barack Obama. The low approval ratings for leaders during times of economic hardship have fueled populist rhetoric claiming that non-elites are hurt by left-wing policies, particularly those that affect the economy and lead to high prices for both inferior and normal goods. As demonstrated by Wednesday’s strike, many workers are unhappy with Milei’s reforms, meaning much of the Argentine population is mobilizing to form a resistance to Milei’s “anarcho-capitalist” policies. However, whether the momentum by the Argentines amounts to real change, remains to be seen.