Pope Francis called Argentine President-elect Javier Milei today and congratulated him on his victory in Sunday’s runoff election. Sources from the press office of the leader of La Libertà Avanza confirmed this to ANSA.
In Argentina, the stock market rose 20% following the victory of right-wing ultra-liberal Javier Milei in the runoff election on Sunday. The measures are driven by the president-elect’s confirmation that he wants to proceed with privatizations.
Outgoing Argentine President Alberto Fernández received President-elect Javier Milei this morning to initiate the change of government ahead of the inauguration of the ultra-liberal leader of La Libertà Avanza on December 10th. The meeting lasted about two and a half hours and was “cordial,” “institutional” and “respectful,” sources close to the president confirmed to ANSA. According to the sources, the focus of the discussions was “the transition method in the individual ministries” in order to ensure the functionality of the public administration when power is transferred. The outgoing government therefore ensures that it is “committed to starting the transition with liaison teams in the different areas” and that a “review of the international agenda” has also been carried out. Also present at the meeting on Milei’s behalf was election campaign coordinator and likely future head of cabinet Nicolas Posse.
Former Argentine President Mauricio Macri, seen behind the scenes as one of the protagonists of Javier Milei’s victory in Sunday’s runoff election, declared that the future government “has six months to stabilize the country.” After his meeting with the president-elect yesterday, Macri gave an interview to the “All News” television channel TN in which journalist Joaquín Morales Solá asked him what challenges he sees for the next four years. I believe, he replied, that “we have six very difficult months ahead of us in which the elected president must stabilize Argentina. And he knows it.” He explained his vision of the priorities in this regard, explaining that this “must trigger a fiscal shock, sharply reduce spending and eliminate the monumental Leliq bubble that this government has built.” Leliqs, literally “liquidity letters”, are a central bank-remunerated debt instrument that cannot be purchased by any individual or organization; But only from banks, and they serve to remove pesos from the market to prevent them from being used to buy dollars. According to the portal Lapoliticaonline.com, “Macri’s move offers several interpretations,” but can be interpreted as “a warning to Milei so that his government immediately begins taking radical measures.” This especially after the chairman of La Libertad Avanza surprised yesterday when he announced that he “will not abolish the subsidies on electricity and gas bills for now”.
While the social situation was already tense due to the economic crisis, the triumph of Javier Milei and the prospect of a new devaluation of the peso increase the risk of a hot December in which trade unions and movements linked to left-wing Peronism organize protest demonstrations. “We will take to the streets confident in what lies ahead. We have already done this on other occasions. The people voted angrily and they are right, but they will defend their rights,” Juan Carlos Alderete, general coordinator of the classist current, told the Clarín newspaper, combative. The delegate does not conclude an articulation between the organizations united in the Unión de Trabajadores y trabajadoras de la popular economía (Utep), such as the Movimento Evita, Somos barrios de pie and CCC – and the Unità piquetera, to which the Confederación General del also belongs from Trabajo of the Argentine Republic (CGT). “We are in constant contact. It will be a very strong alliance,” assured Alderete.
Read the full article on ANSA.it