Javier Milei, an economist known for his ultra-liberal views and a member of the Freedom Advances party, won the presidential election in Argentina on Sunday, November 19. After counting 97% of the votes, Milei had 55.76% of the total, leading over Sergio Massa, the Minister of Economy and the candidate backed by the government, who got 44.23%.
The gap of about 3 million votes was unexpected, as earlier polls had suggested a closer result. In this election, around 26 million people in Argentina voted, which is 76.3% of all eligible voters. Milei was especially successful, winning the most votes in 20 of the 23 provinces in the country, as well as in the capital city, Buenos Aires, which is self-governing.
Javier Milei First Speech As President Of Argentina
“Today the reconstruction of Argentina begins,” said the president-elect in his first speech. Milei thanked former president Mauricio Macri and former candidate Patricia Bullrich, who decided to support him in the second round. “They put their bodies into defending the change that Argentina needs,” he said.
In his first speech as president-elect, Milei was more restrained than he usually is. He preached liberal agendas and criticized the political class, but adopted a more conciliatory tone. He did not mention his more radical proposals, such as dollarizing the economy, nor did he detail measures he intends to take.
He said it was a historic night and that he considered it a miracle that Argentina had a “liberal and libertarian” president.
“Today the end of Argentine decadence begins, the impoverishing model of the omnipresent State ends,” he said. “Argentina has a future, and that future is liberal,” he said. “If we embrace these ideas, we will not only be able to solve today’s problems, but within 35 years we will once again be a world power.”
“Argentina’s situation is critical. There is no place for gradualism or weakness, there is no place for half measures,” he said. “If we don’t move quickly with the structural changes that Argentina needs, we are heading towards the worst crisis in our history,” she added.
When referring to the current government, he asked them to “assume their responsibility until the end of their term”. “We want to ask the government to be responsible, to understand that a new Argentina has arrived and to act accordingly,” he said. “Once the mandate ends, we will be able to transform this tragic reality for millions of Argentines.”
Massa recognized Milei’s victory even before the first numbers were officially released . “Javier Milei is the president elected by the majority of Argentines,” he said in a speech to supporters.
Javier Milei is set to begin his four-year term as President in December. His win marks a significant turnaround from the election’s first round, where Sergio Massa had initially received the most votes.
At 52 years old, Javier Milei is going to be Argentina’s 52nd president. He faces a big challenge with the country’s tough economic situation. This includes the highest inflation in over 30 years, about 40% of people living in poverty, and the value of the currency going down a lot. Also, Argentina has a big debt to other countries and not enough money in its international reserves.
During his campaign, Milei suggested some big changes to solve these problems. He talked about using the U.S. dollar in Argentina’s economy and getting rid of the country’s Central Bank.
Who is Javier Milei
Javier Milei is an economist who is known for being outside traditional political circles. He speaks out against what he calls the “political caste” in Argentina. Before he got into politics, Milei worked in the private sector. He had jobs in a bank and in a company that dealt with retirement and pensions. He was also the chief economist at the Acordar Foundation, which is linked to the Peronist movement and Daniel Scioli, a former candidate for president.
Javier Milei, a university professor, gained wider recognition in Argentina through his appearances on radio and, particularly, TV shows. In 2021, known for his passionate speeches “against everything and everyone,” he won his first election as a federal deputy for his party, A Liberdade Avança, which was established that same year.
Javier Milei is often compared by political experts to former U.S. President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Milei’s personal life became a talking point during his campaign because of an unauthorized biography by Juan Luis González. This book talks about Milei’s interest in esoteric things after his dog Conan died in 2017. He had Conan cloned and tried to find ways to communicate with him after death. Friends say Milei even claims he can talk to dead economists.
Today, Milei has four English mastiffs, each weighing about 90 kilograms. Their names are Murray, Milton, Robert, and Lucas. Argentine newspapers report on them. Milei often calls them his “four-legged children” and still mentions Conan, like when he thanked “Conan, Murray, Milton, Robert, and Lucas” after a win on August 13.
Javier Milei named his dogs in honor of economists he admires: Murray for Murray Rothbard, Milton for Milton Friedman, and Robert for Robert Lucas. The name of his dog Conan is a reference to the 1982 film “Conan the Barbarian.”
Javier Milei Governance
In the recent legislative election, Javier Milei’s party, A Liberdade Avança, made a big jump. It went from having only three deputies and no senators to having 38 deputies and eight senators.
On October 22, during the presidential election’s first round, Argentines also voted for new members of Congress. They were choosing 130 of the 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 24 of the 72 in the Senate.
Now, Milei’s party is the third biggest group in Congress. It comes after Sergio Massa’s Peronist coalition, which has 108 seats in the Chamber, and a center-right coalition led by Patricia Bullrich in the first round, which has 93 deputies.
Together, the parties that oppose Peronism (Liberty Advances and Together for Change) have more deputies than the União pela Pátria group.
