BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — As economist Javier Milei assumes Argentina's presidency on Sunday, the nation is wondering which version of him will rule: the chainsaw-wielding, anti-establishment crusader from the election campaign or the more moderate president-elect Who are emerged in the last few weeks.
Milei, 53, became famous on television with vulgar tirades against what he called the political caste. He parlayed his popularity into a seat in Congress and just as quickly into a presidential run. The self-described “anarcho-capitalist”'s stunning victory in the August primary sent shockwaves across the political landscape and upended the race.
Argentines disillusioned with the economic status quo—triple-digit inflation, four in 10 people in poverty, a falling currency—were receptive to an outsider's outlandish ideas to fix their problems and transform the nation. He clearly won the second round of elections on November 19th – sending the Peronist political force that dominated Argentina for decades to flight.
As a candidate, Milei promised to rid the political establishment of corruption, eliminate the central bank, which he accused of printing money and fueling inflation, and replace the rapidly depreciating peso with the U.S. dollar.
But after he won, he named Luis Caputo, a former central bank president, as his economy secretary and one of Caputo's allies to run the bank, appearing to have put his much-touted dollarization plans on hold.
Milei had portrayed himself as a willing warrior against the spread of global socialism, similar to former US President Donald Trump, whom he openly admires. But when Milei traveled to the U.S. last week, he didn't visit Mar-a-Lago; rather, he had lunch with another former US leader, Bill Clinton.
He also sent a diplomat with a history of work in climate negotiations to the ongoing COP28 conference in Dubai, Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported, even though he has persistently rejected humanity's involvement in global warming. And he backtracked on his plans to abolish the country's health ministry.
His moderation could be due to pragmatism, given the magnitude of the immense challenge before him, his political inexperience and the need to forge alliances with other parties to implement his agenda in Congress, where his party is tied for the number of seats Distance is in third place.
He chose Patricia Bullrich, a longtime politician and first-round opponent from the coalition with the second most seats, as his security minister and her vice president, Luis Petri, as his defense minister.
Nevertheless, there are signs that Milei has not given up his resistance or his radical plans to dismantle the state.
After his swearing-in on Sunday morning, he wants to break with tradition by giving his inaugural speech not to assembled MPs, but to his supporters who have gathered in front of the National Congress building – with their backs to the legislature.
He is expected to refer to the economic difficulties he inherits from outgoing President Alberto Fernández and to announce his first executive actions, including a drastic cut in public spending.
Argentina has a massive budget deficit, a $43 billion trade deficit and a massive $45 billion in debt to the International Monetary Fund, with $10.6 billion due to multilateral and private creditors by April.
“There is no money,” is Milei’s usual refrain.
He has already announced that he will cut several ministries, including the ministries of culture, environment, women and science and technology. He wants to merge the ministries of social development, labor and education into a single ministry of human capital.
However, Milei is likely to face stiff resistance from lawmakers in the Peronist movement and the unions it controls, whose members have said they refuse to forego wages.
After his inaugural speech, Milei plans to drive to the presidential palace in a convertible and later meet with foreign dignitaries.
Among them will be prominent far-right figures: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; the head of the Spanish Vox party, Santiago Abascal; former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and lawmakers allied with Bolsonaro, including his son.
Milei reportedly sent a letter inviting Brazil's current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after he called the leftist “obviously” corrupt in a television interview last month and claimed that the two would not meet, if he became president.
Lula sent his foreign minister to Milei's inauguration.
Also expected is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is visiting Latin America for the first time since the Russian invasion of his country in February 2022.
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Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro