WOnly he knows for sure what made Javier Milei enter politics a few years ago. Some suspect it was his former boss Eduardo Eurnekian, one of the richest Argentines, who convinced him. Others believe it was his sister Karina, with whom he shared a difficult childhood and who is said to have had almost unlimited influence over her brother. And then there is the story about Milei’s deceased dog Conan, with whom he is said to have come into contact through a medium and who is said to have inspired him. Whoever showed him the way into politics, today the 53-year-old economist sees himself on a heroic mission to free Argentina from the corrupt political establishment. “We will put an end to the parasitic, stupid and useless political caste that is driving this country to ruin,” said the libertarian populist and self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist in one of his campaign speeches.
When Milei decided to enter politics in 2020, he had just become one of the hottest figures on Argentine television. His past as a musician in a Rolling Stones cover band and as a soccer goalkeeper, his wild hair and, above all, his angry comments on the business programs in which he was a guest were well received. For example, he once praised the gangster Al Capone, who had at least asserted himself as a gangster on the free market, in complete contrast to the “thieves” who ruled the country. Not even Pope Francis spared Milei his hateful tirades.
Many laughed at Milei at the time, seeing him as a crazy and entertaining television clown, even after his election as an MP two years ago. They missed the fact that Milei hit a nerve with the Argentines. Large parts of the younger generation in particular identify with the angry politician. She grew up in an economy that is constantly in crisis. Meanwhile, the annual inflation rate is approaching 150 percent. 40 percent of Argentines are poor, including an increasing number of families that were once middle class. Milei, who promises such radical steps as the abolition of the central bank and the national currency, the peso, as well as a number of ministries, has become a lightning rod for pent-up anger and frustration.
Milei has to moderate himself
On Sunday, a majority of Argentine voters who went to the polls decided to take the plunge and elect Milei as president. What comes next is uncertain. Milei is politically inexperienced and has only a small minority of representatives and senators in Congress and a young party with limited capacity. He cannot maintain his radical course if he wants to govern. In the weeks between the two elections, Milei adjusted his discourse and defused some of his radical promises. He has stored his chainsaw, which he used at campaign appearances to symbolize the end of the political class and the bloated state, in the closet. Milei has even apologized to the Pope for his attacks.
The taming of the wild lion can be attributed, among other things, to an alliance with the defeated candidate from the conservative opposition alliance, Patricia Bullrich, and former President Mauricio Macri. The two politicians who had previously been insulted by Milei as part of the “caste” have rallied behind Milei in the name of “change” – and have probably made some demands of him. In striving for election victory, Milei has already become part of the “caste” that he so despises. How far and how long Milei can be tamed remains an open question. It is also unclear how Argentines will react if the promised rescue of Argentina’s economy becomes unbearably painful or turns out to be an impossible election promise.
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