anarcho-libertarian Javier Milei’s first 100 days as president

Javier Milei is still supported by 45% of the population, three months after he came to power, armed with a chainsaw, to revive the economy and rid the country of its corrupt political class.

It has already been 100 days since Javier Milei came to power, armed with a chainsaw, determined to tear apart the foundations of a state that is far too lax and spendthrift for his taste, determined, also, to revive the economy and rid Argentina from its corrupt political class. And if we take a look at the opinion polls, Javier Milei and his punk method are doing rather well, 61% of Argentines placed their trust in him at the time of his inauguration. And 100 days later, the anarcho-libertarian is still supported by 45% of the population. It’s honestly not so bad, considering the shock therapy he’s been going through since mid-December.

The Argentine president was not afraid to make unpopular choices: liberalization of prices, devaluation of the currency, cancellation of a law on rent control, elimination of 50,000 public jobs, elimination of energy aid and transport. Overnight, the price of a bus ticket tripled. In just two months, Argentines have lost nearly 20% of purchasing power. For those who have no money, the government allows them to pay their rent in liters of milk or kilos of meat. Nothing other than a return to a society “feudal” for the opponents. Javier Milei’s ultraliberal roadmap is violent and the president does not spare the Argentines.

“A gladiator never surrenders”

Six out of ten Argentines now live in poverty, an increase of 15% since his arrival. The president knows it, he explains that he regrets it, but above all he is convinced that he is very close to the goal. Inflation has fallen to 13%, the zero deficit is getting closer, the tipping point is no longer very far away according to him. And the simple fact that he is still here, at the helm of the country, proves that those who criticized him were wrong. “Many said I wouldn’t last 15 days, a month maximum, I’ve already done three. They don’t know me, a gladiator never surrenders”says Javier Milei in a mocking tone.

Gladiator Milei does not surrender, but he takes blows. Some were predictable, others not, like the vacillations of Victoria Villaruel, the vice-president, whom he himself appointed. Worrying maneuvers for Milei. It was she who prematurely added the DNU, the mega decree, to the Senate’s agenda, without the president’s approval. “of necessity and urgency”. A snub for Milei, because the project was immediately rejected. Victoria Villaruel was also suspected of having secretly met former President Macri, on the lookout for Milei’s slightest misstep. The vice-president was excluded, at the beginning of January, from a Council of Ministers, by the president’s closest advisor: Javier Milei’s sister. For the rest of his mandate, the gladiator Milei is not safe from a change of scenery, to move from Peplum to telenovela.