Despite a belligerent speech, the populist head of state reached out to the country’s parliamentarians and political leaders even though he cannot implement his program.
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The ultraliberal Argentine President, Javier Milei, said on Friday March 1 that he was determined to push his reforms further “with or without supports” politicians, in his first speech on the State of the Nation. “We will change the country for good (…) with or without the support of political leaders, with all the legal resources of the executive”he declared in an offensive speech to parliamentarians, who had rejected his reform package at the beginning of February. “If you seek conflict, you will have conflict”he told them.
However, for almost three months, the Head of State has extended a hand to the entire political class, to forge a “new social contract” for the country, on the basis of ten liberal principles: budgetary balance “non-negotiable”private property “inviolable”public spending reduced to the level “historical” of 25% of GDP, in particular.
On the social level, Javier Milei asked the Argentines “patience and trust”, despite the impact of the first budgetary austerity measures (devaluation of more than 50%, price liberalization, end of numerous subsidies) which, in the short term, gave a boost to inflation and led to a fall in economic activity.
