The leader of Libertad Avanza, the ultra-liberal Javier Milei, won the second round of the elections this Sunday and will be the next president of Argentina, after a campaign based on an ‘anti-caste’ speech and disruptive sayings and appearance that have shaken the hornet’s nest of Argentine politics.
His provocative charisma and his groundbreaking way of speaking about “chorros” (thieves) politicians – along with eccentricities such as dodging his salary or openly saying that his mastiffs advise him – have been a magnet to capture the attention of countless young people disenchanted with the politics – mostly men.
Milei, an ‘outsider’ in politics until 2021, when he was elected deputy, surprised in the primary elections in August, when he was the candidate with the most votes (29.86%) as the only candidate of the far-right formation, ahead of the coalition Together for Change (center-right) and the ruling Union for the Homeland (Peronism).
An apologist economist of the Austrian School, he defends freedom in any area of ??life, even those contrary to far-right ideology such as abortion, homosexual marriage or drug addiction, as long as they are not a burden for the State.
Milei was gaining visibility in Argentine public opinion with constant interventions on television programs, in which he displayed uninhibited oratory filled with insults against the established power, the famous “caste”, to which, however, he ended up allied when receiving the support of former president Mauricio Macri and the former JxC candidate, Patricia Bullrich, for the second round.
Graduated from the University of Belgrano (Buenos Aires), with two postgraduate degrees and without experience in political matters, Milei has been an economic advisor to various organizations and companies, the last of which, Aeropuertos Argentina 2000.
His image of a rebel in a suit – or wearing a tracksuit jacket from a well-known American company under a leather jacket – and the air of a ‘rock star’ raised more than a few eyebrows among traditional politicians, who considered him a “crazy “with a messiah complex.
However, his arrival in Congress in 2021 began to worry the “caste”, especially when the self-defined “anarcho-capitalist” proposed breaking the monetary ‘status quo’ through the dollarization of the economy, the privatization of most state companies, the reduction of the tax burden and freedom to access firearms and sell organs.
His symbol par excellence is the ‘chainsaw’, with which he has warned that, if he became president, he would drastically cut public spending, closing and unifying ministries and closing the Central Bank, one of his most transgressive measures.
The explosive socioeconomic cocktail that Argentina is experiencing has been the breeding ground for the growth of the ultraliberal ranks led by this Rolling Stones fan, former Chacarita Juniors goalkeeper and Boca Juniors fan.
It does not adhere to the 2030 Agenda and denies climate change, as well as – something unthinkable in one of the few consensuses in Argentine politics – the 30,000 disappeared during the military dictatorship (1976-1983).
The leader of La Libertad Avanza turned 53 on the same day of the general elections, when many thought he could win in the first round and finished second behind the ruling party Sergio Massa, who this Sunday accepted his defeat before the results were announced.
His inner circle, in addition to his dogs whom he calls “children”, is made up of his partner, the actress, dancer and comedian Fátima Flórez, famous for her imitation of former president Cristina Fernández (2007-2015); and by her sister Karina, whom he describes as ‘The Boss’.
She is his shadow and, according to him, he justifies the physical and psychological violence he suffered from his parents, his main emotional support.
Its stability has been the subject of criticism and Massa even asked that the presidential candidates undergo a psychotechnical examination.
But his verbal profanity is what has earned him the support of broad sectors that have taken him to the Casa Rosada.
