Argentina's President Javier Milei has introduced economic reforms to overhaul the economy and reduce debt.

His economic plan aims to cut spending, reduce inflation, and privatize state companies to achieve a zero-deficit target this year.

Milei has proposed dollarizing Argentina's economy to combat inflation.

The plan has been met with opposition due to concerns it could compromise the country's monetary policy and leave it vulnerable to external shocks.

Milei remains committed to his economic reform plan, which includes deregulation, free-market reforms, and granting the president special powers.

The government has deregulated the economy and proposed privatizing state-run enterprises to boost investment and business incentives.

The economic reform plan includes abolishing ministries and reducing government employees to improve efficiency.

The reduction of government employees is expected to save the budget, but may impact healthcare and education services.

A decree to repeal over 300 laws and a 664-article omnibus bill have been sent to Congress.

The bill proposes environmental law reforms and grants the executive over 1,000 powers until 2025.

The government awaits a presidential decree to liberalize the economy by amending or repealing over 300 restrictions.

The decree will modernize labor law and remove restrictions in sectors like tourism and trade to facilitate job creation.

The government's economic reforms face opposition from regional governors and protesters.

The government faces challenges meeting its zero-deficit pledge amidst 200%-plus inflation and capital controls.

Argentina's economy faces stagflation, with the IMF predicting a 2.8% contraction in 2024.

The Senate has approved President Javier Milei's overhaul and tax bills, granting him broad powers in several areas.

The reforms have been criticized for their potential impact on vulnerable populations, with Argentina's 40 percent poverty rate and 160 percent inflation making safeguards essential.

Argentina's President Javier Milei has introduced economic reforms to overhaul the economy and reduce debt.

Title:

Content: 'No obstacle' to Argentina mega reform bill in Congress, government says

By Walter Bianchi

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's government said on Tuesday that it was confident its sprawling economic reform bill, known as the "omnibus bill", would gain approval in Congress after it made concessions removing some divisive sections from the legislation.

The bill is a central plank in libertarian President Javier Milei's aims to overhaul the South American country's economy that is buckling under high debt loads, inflation running at over 200% and myriad capital controls to protect the peso.

"There should now be no obstacle for the law to be approved," presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said in a daily press conference on Tuesday. "As we understand it is going to get approved, with the first half of that this week."

Milei took office in December after a divisive campaign in which he pledged a "chainsaw" plan to slash back the size of the state and cut spending with an austerity drive he argues is necessary to put the country's finances back on a firm footing.

That has gone down well with markets and investors, including major creditor the International Monetary Fund (IMF), though he has warned of tough months ahead for regular Argentines with a likely economic contraction this year.

The omnibus bill - a major part of Milei's reform plan - is expected to be debated in the lower house of Congress on Wednesday after the government yanked the key fiscal section following opposition to tax hikes and pension reforms.

While marking a significant concession by the government -- which still intends to push those fiscal plans separately -- the move was seen as likely to help avoid the bill failing in Congress where Milei only has minority support.

That helped the S&P Merval stock index edge up 1% on Tuesday, with sovereign bonds very slightly up on average.

The government still faces a major challenge to meet pledges for a zero deficit this year, while turning around an expected economic contraction estimated by the IMF at 2.8%.

"As soon as reality and the situation allows it, of course we are going to reverse this drop," Adorni added.

In popular parallel currency markets, used to get around strict capital controls and where people pay a large premium for dollars, the exchange rate was over 1,200 pesos per dollar on Tuesday, well away from the 826 peso controlled official rate.

In futures markets dollars were trading at 1,273 pesos by the end of June, reflecting expectations of a sharp slide.

(Reporting by Walter Bianchi; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Alison Williams)

Advertisement

What issue did Milei want to address without printing money?

His economic plan aims to cut spending, reduce inflation, and privatize state companies to achieve a zero-deficit target this year.

What economic issue did Milei want to address?

What issue did Milei want to address without printing money?

Milei has proposed dollarizing Argentina's economy to combat inflation.

Title:

Content: Argentina election: Javier Milei's radical proposals face test of reality

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Javier Milei, the anti-establishment politician who cruised to victory in the Argentine presidential election last week, has courted intense controversy with radical, provocative policy proposals and statements.

This led many detractors of the self-styled "anarcho-capitalist" to call his candidacy a "leap into the void".

Now, with the mop-haired president-elect only two weeks away from taking over Latin America's third-largest economy, many are asking, how will his policies and positions face the test of reality?

Taming inflation takes time

Javier Milei had proposed to dollarise the economy and eliminate the Argentine Central Bank as a strategy to "kill" hyper-inflation. This meant making the US dollar the national currency in place of the Argentine peso, whose value, Mr Milei said, had been "melting like blocks of ice in the Sahara".

One obstacle is that ditching the Central Bank and making the US dollar legal tender would need approval from the Argentina's Congress and could even require changing the constitution.

Although Mr Milei convincingly won the presidency, his Libertad Avanza (Freedom Advances) movement is barely the third largest political force in Congress. This suggests difficult negotiations might be in store.

Some economists have also questioned whether Mr Milei's plans are feasible, saying they would weaken his government's ability to manage domestic monetary policy.

Having the US dollar as the Argentine currency would effectively leave interest rate policy in the hands of the US Federal Reserve. Argentina's economy would be more vulnerable to external shocks involving the US dollar, for example sudden rises in prices for oil and fuel imports, which could make internal adjustments even more painful inside the country.

Sceptics also point out that Argentina would need to have in hand the US dollars to replace the pesos. Experts believe this could require anywhere between US $35bn to $50bn which indebted Argentina currently does not have and may not be able to borrow easily.

Mr Milei himself has admitted his "shock adjustment" economic stabilisation recipe could actually take up to two years to bring down inflation. "Saying anything else is lying," he said.

A climate sceptic?

Another topic that had made media headlines was Mr Milei's apparent declaration of himself as a climate change "sceptic", that is, someone who denies the role of humans in global warming.

"I do not deny climate change. What I am saying is that there is a temperature cycle in the history of the Earth... Therefore, all those policies that blame humans for climate change are false," Mr Milei said during a presidential debate last month, causing much commentary and criticism.

In his proposed government programme, one of the numerous ministries he had said he planned to axe would be the existing environment ministry.

Such apparent climate scepticism risked putting Mr Milei sharply out of tune with an international majority of governments and leaders who plan to gather at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai soon to seek urgent solutions to the problems of climate change and global warming.

Pragmatism and the Pope

Before he was elected, Mr Milei virulently attacked Argentine Pope Francis, calling him a "Jesuit who promotes communism", and even the "representative of the evil one [the Devil] on Earth".

Such statements caused frictions with the local Catholic Church and the Vatican.

However, this antagonism appeared to miraculously dissipate only days after his election win, when Mr Milei had what he called a "very friendly" phone call with the Pope, whom he addressed as "Your Holiness", inviting him to visit Argentina in 2024.

Asked in a TV interview about this change of heart, Mr Milei conceded that, when one is president, "there are some things that require greater doses of pragmatism".

No break with China and Brazil

Before his election, Milei had signalled he could freeze ties with Brazil and China, Argentina's two top trading partners, on the grounds that he did "not make pacts with communists".

"I am going to be aligned with the United States, Israel, and the free world," he said.

Not surprisingly, this assertion caused consternation in Beijing and Brasilia, as well as in Argentina.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted as warning that it would be a "huge foreign policy mistake" for Argentina to cut ties with countries such as China and Brazil.

Mr Milei's predecessor, outgoing left-wing President Alberto Fernández, had carefully nurtured ties with Beijing and had welcomed an invitation to join Brics, the China-led group which also comprises Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa.

Experts questioned the wisdom of dismantling a relationship that clearly brought benefits to Argentina, and not only by China being a top market for Argentina's soybean, meat and grains.

China was also helping to prop up Argentina's financial reserves with a major currency swap deal - significant support for a country already heavily indebted to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Days after the election, however, there seemed to be clear signs that no major break in relations was planned. The president-elect received a personal letter of "congratulations and good wishes" from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Mr Milei himself made a point of thanking Xi on social media.

Mr Milei's pick for foreign minister, Diana Mondino, also dismissed as "nonsense" any suggestion that there would be a rupture in "commercial relations" with China or Brazil.

In Brazil, Mr Milei's invitation for former President Jair Bolsonaro to attend his 10 December inauguration was interpreted as "unfriendly" towards Brazil's current left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

But Milei has since said Lula would be "well-received", if he wanted to come.

Dictatorship denial

Mr Milei and his vice-presidential running-mate Victoria Villarruel also ignited intense controversy during the campaign with their position regarding Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship.

Defying traditional positions held by Argentina's government and society for the last 40 years, Mr Milei caused outrage by contesting the generally accepted estimate of those abducted and "disappeared" in the dictatorship - 30,000 - asserting the actual number was closer to 9,000.

The candidate argued that the political violence of the 1970s in Argentina was a two-sided "war" in which "the forces of the state committed excesses but the terrorists [anti-government guerrillas] ... [also] committed crimes against humanity".

This equivalence of presentation of the two sides raised howls of protest from groups like the Plaza de Mayo mothers and grandmothers of disappeared persons.

This was just another striking way in which the Milei-Villarruel duo were trying to shake up the political status quo in Argentina. The next four years will show if they can do it.

What economic issue did Milei want to address?

The plan has been met with opposition due to concerns it could compromise the country's monetary policy and leave it vulnerable to external shocks.

Milei remains committed to his economic reform plan, which includes deregulation, free-market reforms, and granting the president special powers.

Title:

Content: Argentina's Senate in Deadlock: Economic Reform Bill Ignites Protests

Argentina's Senate is deeply divided as it debates President Javier Milei's economic reform bill aimed at privatizing state entities and boosting investment. Protests erupted outside Congress, leading to clashes with police. The bill requires 37 votes to pass the Senate, with a tie possibly broken by the vice president.

Reuters | Updated: 13-06-2024 04:50 IST | Created: 13-06-2024 04:50 IST

Argentina's Senate began debating a sprawling bill on Wednesday that is key to libertarian President Javier Milei's economic reform plans, while protesters set fires and clashed with police in the streets outside Congress. The upper house, which is divided almost down the middle over the bill, which is designed to boost investment by privatizing state entities and providing incentives for businesses, is set for a marathon debate. The bill passed the lower house of deputies in April following many changes after it was rejected in a first vote in February.

Milei's government, which controls only a minority of seats in both chambers, has been bargaining to win over allies. It knows the bill will be modified, but is hoping to at least get general approval. Outright rejection would be a major blow. Local legislators and media outlets estimated that senators were evenly split. The bill needs 37 votes out of the 72 total legislators in the chamber to get a majority.

"It is a very even vote: it's 36 and 36," Guadalupe Tagliaferri, a conservative lawmaker from the government-allied Together for Change, told reporters. She said the vote could come down to the vice president, who presides over the Senate, to break the tie. The main left-leaning Peronist opposition bloc, closely allied to the unions, is likely to vote down what is known as the "bases" bill and a separate fiscal package. The main bill includes plans for privatizing public firms, granting special powers to the president and spurring investment.

"Argentine people's lives are at play. We've drunk this poison several times: to have zero inflation with zero economic activity," protester and social leader Luis D'Elia said as thousands protested the planned reforms. "This poison has failed several times in Argentina and we won't allow this to carry on."

Reuters footage from the streets of Buenos Aires showed a car set on fire, with scattered protesters throwing rocks and bottles, while police with riot gear used tear gas, water hoses and rubber bullets. Milei's office issued a statement congratulating the security forces for holding back "terrorist groups" armed with sticks and grenades who "tried to perpetrate a coup d'etat." It did not provide further evidence.

'CHANGE ARGENTINA' Milei, a brash economist and former pundit who has clashed with lawmakers and regularly called Congress a "nest of rats," has tied a lot to the bill. His government says it is key to undoing a major economic crisis that it inherited.

"We are going to change Argentina. We'll make a liberal Argentina," Milei said on Wednesday, adding that if his reforms didn't get through Congress now he'd try again in 2025. A government official speaking on condition of anonymity said that they expected the bill to get general approval in the Senate, but would be "more altered than we would like". If it is approved with changes it will go back to the lower house.

"If the Bases law is passed, it accelerates the growth process, mainly by getting investment into the country. If it is not passed, we keeping going, though perhaps more slowly," the person said. Argentina has annual inflation near 300%, myriad capital controls that stymie business and trade, depleted foreign currency reserves and a high debt load that needs servicing. The economy is in recession and poverty is rising.

The Senate debate is expected to continue late on Wednesday, with voting potentially set to take place in the evening. "They are going to have to buy popcorn," La Libertad Avanza Senator Francisco Paoltroni told local channel C5N. "It is going to be a long night of trying to break the deadlock."

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Give Feedback

The government has deregulated the economy and proposed privatizing state-run enterprises to boost investment and business incentives.

Title:

Content: Streets of Argentina Ablaze with Dissent as Milei’s Controversial Reforms Ignite Outrage

In a stunning turn of events, Argentina has become a battleground for public discontent following President Javier Milei’s introduction of a series of controversial proposals. Thousands of Argentinians have taken to the streets, enraged by the president’s push for drastic cuts to public spending.

Milei’s latest measures, unveiled on Wednesday evening, aim to revolutionize Argentina’s struggling economy through a variety of initiatives. These include deregulating the government and opening up state-run industries for privatization in order to spur both exports and investment.

However, the people’s outrage has manifested in widespread protests, often met with a heavy police presence. Gathering in front of the Argentine Congress, hundreds of demonstrators made their opposition to Milei’s proposals known.

Undeterred by the dissent, Milei appeared on national television to defend his agenda and offer reassurances of a prosperous future. He asserted, “Our objective is to rebuild our nation, restore individual freedom and autonomy, and dismantle the myriad of regulations that have impeded our economic growth for far too long.”

Acknowledging the mounting protests, Milei’s security minister, Patricia Bullrich, announced new measures aimed at maintaining public order. These measures grant federal forces the power to disperse protesters blocking streets without requiring a judicial order, and authorize the police to use video or digital evidence to identify and hold accountable those obstructing public thoroughfares. Moreover, the legislation empowers the state to apportion the costs of mobilizing security forces to the protesters themselves.

Milei’s presidential victory was built upon a campaign centered around reducing public spending. Since assuming office, he has already made significant changes to the country’s financial landscape. The value of the Argentinian currency has been adjusted, contracts of public employees with less than one year of service have been terminated, and the prices of basic services and public transportation have seen notable increases.

FAQ:

Q: What are President Milei’s proposals?

A: President Milei’s proposals include deregulating the government and allowing the privatization of state-run industries to boost exports and investment.

Q: Why are Argentinians protesting?

A: Thousands of Argentinians are protesting against Milei’s proposals due to their belief that the drastic cuts to public spending will adversely impact their lives.

Q: How is the government responding to the protests?

A: In response to the protests, the government has announced new measures to maintain public order, empowering federal forces to disperse protesters without a judicial order and enabling the identification of those obstructing public thoroughfares through video or digital means.

Q: What changes has Milei already implemented?

A: Since taking office, Milei has adjusted the value of the Argentinian currency, terminated contracts of public employees with less than one year of service, and increased the prices of basic services and public transportation.

(Sources: Information gathered from local news outlets)

The economic reform plan includes abolishing ministries and reducing government employees to improve efficiency.

Title:

Content: Log in to the mail
Argentina ’ s president says he will lay off 70,000 civil servants
Argentine President Javier Miley plans to dismiss about 70 thousand civil servants, contracts with some of them have already been terminated.
This is reported by La Politica Online.
Miley noted that contracts with 50 thousand civil servants have already been terminated.
“Please note that now the number of contracts is reduced and 70 thousand of them will be canceled, ” he said.
Miley also noted that he was “proud ” of the abolition of public works, as they are“ a hotbed of corruption. ”
However, the Secretary General of the Association of state workers Rodolfo Aguiar said that the head of state does not have the right to dismiss 70 thousand state employees, writes Pagina 12.
“Today, protests have multiplied across the country, and conflicts in the state will continue to escalate.
We are going to continue the fight to prevent any illegal and unjustified dismissals in the state administration, ” he said.
Miley took office as President of Argentina on December 10, 2023.
During his election campaign, Miley promised to liquidate the country ’ s Central Bank and replace the national currency with the US dollar.
The politician also said that the value of the peso fell below acceptable values, and the Central Bank of Argentina should “blow up ”.
In addition, he criticized the idea of   global warming, advocated the prohibition of abortion and the legalization of trafficking in human organs.
On December 21, 2023, the new head of state signed a decree on more than 300 reforms to liberalize the economy.
Among the measures introduced are privatization, export liberalization, refusal to regulate prices.
It is assumed that the implementation of reforms will allow the country to gain “freedom ”.
Rambler: top news

The reduction of government employees is expected to save the budget, but may impact healthcare and education services.

Title:

Content: Sections
Materials
Saving the budget: the new President of Argentina Miley wants to dismiss all civil servants
Timur Savin
The new Argentine leader made a sharp decision on the eve of Christmas — about 7 thousand officials will look for work.
In the future, not the best changes are waiting for ordinary workers: the authorities make laws in favor of large companies.
The newly elected President of Argentina Javier Miley on the eve of Christmas wanted to dismiss all civil servants who were hired after January 1, 2023.
This is reported by the publication Infocielo.
About 7,000 civil servants hired this year may lose their jobs, and staff who were previously employed are awaiting inspection.
Miley ’ s reform will affect state bodies and companies, as well as firms whose controlling stake is state-owned.
Thus, the new authorities want to reduce budget expenditures, emphasizes the publication.
“If employers decide to extend these contracts, they must justify their decision and show the need to continue concluding these contracts, ” the journalists note.
In addition, Miley made changes to labor laws not in favor of the working class.
The Argentine leader has increased the probationary period for new employees from three to eight months.
“The laws on compensation for dismissal without cause have been changed in favor of companies and he plans to review the labor agreements in force since 1975, ” Euronews points out.
Libertarian economist Javier Miley won more than 55% of the vote in the second round of the presidential election on November 19.
His rival, the Peronist candidate and former economy minister Sergio Massa, won 44.04% of the vote.
One of the first to congratulate Miley on his victory was former US President Donald Trump, who said Miley could turn Argentina into a “great country. ”
Earlier, Javier Miley proposed to President Vladimir Zelensky to hold a summit in Argentina to achieve peace in Ukraine.
The participation of Argentina is extremely important in joint peace efforts, Zelensky said.
Focus had previously written that on the eve of the election, Argentina was mired in an economic and financial crisis.
The country has experienced a very low GDP growth rate of 0.4% over the past 10 years.

A decree to repeal over 300 laws and a 664-article omnibus bill have been sent to Congress.

Title:

Content: Argentina’s Javier Milei’s “Instant Democracy” and Neoliberalism

Javier Milei, YouTube screen grab.

Self-described “anarcho-capitalist,” Javier Milei became the president of Argentina in December 2023 promising “drastic” measures to temper the inflation crisis that has gripped the country. In the weeks since his election, Milei has brought forward an ambitious neoliberal restructuring program encompassing almost every aspect of the government.

Milei’s agenda confronts considerable opposition in Congress, where his governing coalition, Libertad Avanza, holds only a fraction of the seats. To adjust to these circumstances, Milei has cultivated a strategy of “turbo-politics,” bypassing legislative processes that risk delaying the implementation of his state reorganization plans.

Milei’s approach to Congress is symbolic of a decades-old strategy I have elsewhere called “neoliberal parliamentarism.” This concept describes a pattern of deliberate efforts to reform or subvert legislative institutions as a means of facilitating neoliberal reforms that do not have sufficient popular support to be actualized through usual democratic channels. These changes, even when temporary, often leave long-term scars on institutions by weakening norms of institutional forbearance.

The Emergency Decree and the Omnibus Bill

Milei has followed this blueprint, insulating the core elements of his agenda from democratic influence. The dismantling of the Argentine state began in earnest in mid-December when the executive branch presented an 83 page Necessity and Urgency Decree (NDU) aimed at repealing over 300 various laws and regulations, facilitating the privatization of core public assets.

This “mega-decree,” Milei claimed, was necessary to “start to undo the huge number of regulations that have held back and prevented economic growth”. It includes sweeping economic deregulation, such as the elimination of regulations on Argentina’s supermarket laws, which required the guarantee of low prices on basic products. It also includes measures to eliminate rent controls. Suggested labour reforms to cut pregnancy leave and increase the job probation period were suspended by the courts in January 2024.

Less than a week after issuing the NDU, the executive branch sent a massive omnibus bill titled Foundations and Starting Points for the Freedom of the Argentine People to Congress for consideration. The bill bundles the major elements of Milei’s neoliberal restructuring initiatives under the heading of a single piece of legislation with 664 articles. It will enable the government to carry out, in a matter of weeks, what would normally take years to achieve if these reforms were considered independently and subjected to the usual legislative scrutiny.

Reforms from the 351 page bill include an extraordinary provision declaring a state of public emergency on matters related to the economy, fiscal balance, social security, defence, health, and administration.

The emergency declaration delegates more than 1,000 extraordinary powers from the legislative to the executive until December 31, 2025, with the possibility of a two-year extension. This provision would enable Milei to make major reforms without having to consult Congress, thus eliminating a major hurdle to the implementation of neoliberal reforms.

Authors of the bill are attempting to facilitate the privatization of 41 state-owned companies across various sectors including energy, aviation, port administration, and agriculture. They also enable the reorganization of public administration, including embedding regulatory cuts from the NDU into law.

Additionally, the omnibus legislation proposes substantial reforms to environmental protection laws. These changes include the weakening of the Glacier Protection Law, allowing the mining of sensitive “periglacial” areas. The bill is presently being rushed through the legislative process by way of Extraordinary sessions of Congress, leading to marathon sittings during Argentina’s usual summer recess period.

“It’s impossible for people to have an idea of the enormous number of proposals Milei has sent,” said Ricardo Gil Laverda, a constitutional lawyer and former Argentine Justice Minister. “They cover dozens and dozens and dozens of laws, often on deep topics.”

To influence negotiations, Milei has threatened to put forward a non-binding referendum if the opposition parties do not agree to the main terms of his restructuring plan. Milei has also threatened to take away social welfare rights from protesters who block streets.

Despite these efforts, however, the reality of Milei’s lack of Congressional support has led him to compromise on some elements of his agenda as it makes its way through the legislative process. Although the structure of the bill remains, opposition politicians have made more than 100 changes to it, including curtailing the scope of the President’s emergency powers to one year rather than two, and retaining YPF, the national oil and gas company, in public hands, despite allowing most other state-owned companies to remain subject to privatization.

Neoliberalism and the Decline of the Legislature

Argentina is not unique. This most recent example of legislative subversion is a familiar tactic used to accommodate neoliberal restructuring, that has been utilized repeatedly by neoliberal reformers in recent decades, including the IMF-sanctioned omnibus bill rammed through Greece’s parliament in 2014.

This approach to the legislature is the consequence of the political limitations of neoliberal policy, which is opposed by considerable segments of society. A blueprint for this strategy is spelled out by former New Zealand Minister of Finance Roger Douglas in his 1993 book, Unfinished Business. The book recalls lessons from his experience implementing a neoliberal agenda dubbed ‘Rogernomics’ in the 1980s against the headwinds of widespread social and political opposition.

Douglas claimed it is “uncertainty, not speed, that endangers the success of structural reform programmes.” Neoliberal reforms should not be passed incrementally, but as a rupture, moving in “quantum leaps” to overcome popular opposition.

Democratic processes are typically slow and deliberate, designed to enable the legislative body to scrutinize the executive, foster compromise, and encourage debate. It was necessary, therefore, to streamline the democratic process to ensure that politicians could neither interfere with, nor demand meaningful changes to, neoliberal reorganization efforts.

Neoliberal governments should confront the legislature, not as an essential element of the process of democracy, but an instrument used by politicians and vested interests to interfere with the operations of the marketplace. “Speed is essential. It is almost impossible to go too fast,” Douglas said. “Once the programme begins to be implemented, don’t stop until you have completed it.”

This tactic did not occur in a vacuum, but emerged intrinsically from the content of a neoliberal theoretical framework that views democratic institutions as an additional layer of state administration to be overcome. Neoliberal thought is deeply skeptical in the capabilities of reason to infer or predict causality. Given the limitations of the mind, society should be governed, not by conscious modelling and careful planning, but according to spontaneous or “invisible hand” forms of social organization, which are the outcome of independent, unplanned individual decisions.

This position is most clearly expressed by Friedrich Hayek, who claimed that parliamentary sovereignty was in fact the “root of the evil” in modern society, since it facilitated the growth of the state. Legislatures constituted one limb of what Milton Friedman called the “iron triangle” of politicians, bureaucrats, as well as corporate and individual special interests that were perpetually reliant upon the government for rents, and therefore had an interest in obstructing market reforms.

‘Instant Democracy’ and the Rise of ‘Neoliberal Populism’

What should we make of Milei’s approach to Congress, then? Is it reflective of a new pattern in neoliberal governance, or merely the extension of an old one? The answer is both. While Milei’s approach clearly shares categorial similarities with the neoliberal legislative blueprint built for speed, his blending of these ideas with a coarse, populist rhetoric grounded in anti-statism, signifies an intensification of these patterns.

Milei’s populist neoliberal worldview contributes to a rising trend among far-right governments around the world to use this rhetoric to rationalize the subversion of democracy. This kind of “neoliberal populism” conflates democratic institutions with political actors, claiming that they are instruments of obstruction for self-serving politicians and bureaucrats.

This is a view Milei has proudly declared. “For me, the state is an enemy, as are the politicians who live off it,” he said. “We will put an end to the parasitic, stupid, useless political caste that is sinking this country.”

Grounded in the same logic as neoliberalism’s conventional demand for freedom from the state, democratic institutions increasingly appear as impediments to the logic of the marketplace. The elimination of cumbersome legislative processes, then, removes the obstacles that restrain market forces, generating popular economic independence, and restoring common-sense. This inverts the logic of democracy, making it appear as though executive rule is necessary to protect the interests of “the People” from Friedman’s “iron triangle.”

The anti-parliamentarism at the core of the neoliberal theoretical outlook has increasingly transformed into a populist program that mobilizes a general dissatisfaction with politicians against democratic institutions as such. Neoliberal politicians, such as Milei, use this reasoning to manufacture the conditions for the ongoing use of emergency powers and the concentration of authority in the executive branch.

The global elite, sensing “the smell of a big privatization wave coming,” are said to be “infatuated” with his take-no-prisoners approach to Congress. Thus, although not a new phenomenon, Milei’s brand of “instant democracy,” which conceives of speed and flexibility as the essence of legislative governance, has the support of both the financial elite as well as a growing populist dimension, giving it the hallmarks of a burgeoning political movement of the most regressive kind.

As the institutional forbearance that restrained most neoliberal governments to stay within the confines of liberal democratic constitutional structures continues to give way to a logic that sees the legislature as subordinate to the market, it is likely that we will continue to see the erosion of democratic standards.

Tom McDowell is a Lecturer in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is the author of Neoliberal Parliamentarism: The Decline of Parliament at the Ontario Legislature (University of Toronto Press, 2021).

The bill proposes environmental law reforms and grants the executive over 1,000 powers until 2025.

The government awaits a presidential decree to liberalize the economy by amending or repealing over 300 restrictions.

Title:

Content: Argentine President Announces Major Plan to Liberalize Economy
Cairo - Center Gate Thursday 21 December 2023, 09: 53 am
Argentina is awaiting a presidential decree to liberalize the struggling national economy announced by hard-line liberal President Javier Milley on Wednesday in a televised speech aimed at starting the path of rebuilding the country, restoring freedom and independence for individuals, and disarming the myriad regulations that have hampered economic growth.
In his speech, Milley said he would amend or repeal more than 300 of the current restrictions, regulations and controls, including those related to rents and labor laws.
Argentine President Votes in Boca Juniors Elections
Argentine President Meets Biden Advisers
The president, who was elected in November, said one of the measures to be included in the decree would be the repeal of the rent law “so that the real estate market starts to run smoothly again and so that rent is not a problem. ”
Privatization of public companies
Laws prohibiting the privatization of public companies will also be repealed, he said, noting that all such companies will be transformed into limited liability companies in preparation for their privatization.
Milley also announced his intention to “modernize the labor law to facilitate the process of creating real jobs, and amend the company law so that football clubs can become limited liability companies. ”
The decree amends and removes a long series of other regulatory restrictions in sectors ranging from tourism, satellite internet, pharmacy, agriculture and international trade.
For the decree to enter into force, it must be published in the Official Gazette, and then examined by a joint committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate to determine whether or not it should be repealed.
Constitutional lawyer Emiliano Vitaliani told AFP that the decree would only be revoked if it was rejected by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
More from the middle gate.
Related Titles
Lufthansa orders 40 Airbus and 40 Boeing aircraft for $9 billion
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross: The body almost drowned in a crisis...
IMF approves $100 million loan to Somalia
Canada to buy 11 military drones for a total of $2.49 billion
Has OPEC + lost its ability to adjust the rhythm of oil prices?
More...
Most preferred in this section.

The decree will modernize labor law and remove restrictions in sectors like tourism and trade to facilitate job creation.

What industries were affected by Milei's deregulations?

The government's economic reforms face opposition from regional governors and protesters.

The government faces challenges meeting its zero-deficit pledge amidst 200%-plus inflation and capital controls.

What economic issue did Milei want to address?

What issue did Milei want to address without printing money?

Argentina's economy faces stagflation, with the IMF predicting a 2.8% contraction in 2024.

Title:

Content: People 's Network > > International
International observation _ How effective is the reform of Argentina 's President Mile' s 100 days in office?
March 20, 2024 15: 28 | Source: Xinhua Network
Small number
Xinhua News Agency, BUENOS AIRES, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Gloria Macapagal-Millet has been in power for 100 days
Xinhua News Agency, Wang Zhongyi
Argentine President Gloria Macapagal-Millet has launched a series of "shock therapy" reforms aimed at reducing the fiscal deficit and controlling inflation since he took office last December.
The two main reform measures proposed by the Millet government are still pending due to parliamentary procedures.
Argentina has achieved a fiscal surplus for two consecutive months, and inflation has eased, but unemployment has increased, industrial production has fallen and prices have risen.
Analysts believe that whether the reform can get parliamentary support, whether inflation can be controlled, and whether public anxiety can be relieved are still challenges facing the government.
Prospects for reform uncertain
In his first month in office, Millet introduced two major reforms, a necessary emergency decree called "The Basis of Argentina's Economic Reconstruction" and a comprehensive bill called "The Basis and Starting Point of Liberties for Argentines", aimed at loosening government and legal control over the economy, reducing the fiscal deficit and facilitating import and export trade.
Mile also devalued the peso, Argentina's currency.
On March 14, the Argentine Senate voted to reject the necessary emergency decree signed by Millet, which will then be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies for consideration and vote.
According to Argentine law, even if the decree is rejected by the Senate, the decree may enter into force if it is passed by a vote of the Chamber of Deputies; if it is rejected by the Chamber of Deputies, the decree will be null and void.
The bill, which has not yet been passed by the parliament, is currently scheduled to be amended to be submitted to the parliament for consideration.
Analysts believe that the resistance to the reform mainly comes from the left and the trade unions, and because the ruling party and the left-wing opposition parties do not have a majority in both houses, Millet still needs to win the support of the central parties to push for the reform.
Sun Hongbo, deputy researcher of the Latin American Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the Milai government intends to carry out a systematic and radical reform, but the relevant reform measures are facing various political checks and balances.
On the whole, Millet's government is facing constraints from various forces, such as the ruling coalition, left-wing parties, local governments and trade unions, and there are many uncertainties in its prospects for radical reform.
People's plight to be alleviated
Recently, many news is regarded as good by the Argentine government: Argentina's central bank cut its benchmark interest rate to 80%, two consecutive months of fiscal surplus, inflation pressure has eased, the International Monetary Fund approved another 4.7 billion US dollars of loans to Argentina, Argentina completed more than 50 billion US dollars of debt replacement.
Despite this, the population of Argentina is still plagued by rising unemployment and rising prices.
In March, the Argentine people ushered in the day of resumption of work and school, but many people received calls to be dismissed.
Argentine media reported that companies said sales had fallen sharply and could not afford to hire so many employees.
Unemployment, poverty and rising prices loom over the Argentine population.
Argentine sociologist Marcelo Rodríguez said that more than 50,000 jobs have been lost due to government cuts, layoffs and the withdrawal of funds from public programs, and unemployment in Argentina is expected to rise in the future.
According to the latest report of the Argentine Industrial Union, Argentina's industrial production index fell to 29.9% in January this year, the lowest level in recorded history, and for the seventh consecutive month it was in the contraction range of less than 50%.
The report said that more than half of the small and medium-sized enterprises in the survey declined in output, and multiple sets of data showed that the plight of industrial production in Afghanistan has intensified, with small and medium-sized enterprises bearing the brunt
According to UNICEF, poverty among children and adolescents in Argentina will reach about 70% and extreme poverty 34% in the first quarter of 2024.
On March 18, a number of labor unions in Argentina launched marches in Buenos Aires and other cities across the country. In January, a number of national trade unions and leftist organizations also held a national strike to protest that the reform measures of the Mile government ignored the rights of labor and social vulnerable groups, resulting in the suspension of services in banks, gas stations, airports, airlines, sanitation and other industries in Argentina.
Economy faces stagflation challenge
Argentine economist Gustavo Nefa believes that the Mile government has reversed the decline in Argentina's dollar reserves in the past 100 days, but the country's economy still faces the challenge of stagflation.
Argentina's National Institute of Statistics and Census data show that Argentina's inflation rate in February this year was 13.2%, down from 20.6% in January and 25.5% in December last year; the cumulative inflation rate in the past 12 months reached 276.2%.
Rosendo Fraga, a researcher at the National Institute of Ethics and Political Science in Argentina, said that although the monthly inflation rate has decreased, inflation is still at a high level.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a report on January 30, predicting that Argentina will face recession and rising inflation in the context of a sharp economic policy adjustment.
The report predicts that the Argentine economy will shrink by 2.8% in 2024.
Argentina's TN news television recently quoted a report by the international rating agency Moody's Investors Service saying that the Argentine economy is expected to shrink by 5% in 2024, a decline far beyond the 2.5% forecast in November 2023.
In terms of inflation, Argentina ’ s inflation rate is expected to exceed 280% in 2024 and will still exceed 220% in 2025.
(Editor: Yu Yang, Xu Xiangli)
Share it so more people can see it.
Back to top

The Senate has approved President Javier Milei's overhaul and tax bills, granting him broad powers in several areas.

Title:

Content: Skip to Content

In initial victory for Argentine President Milei, Senate gives overall approval to key reform bills

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s Senate has approved key state overhaul and tax bills proposed by President Javier Miliei, delivering an initial legislative victory to the libertarian leader in his efforts to deliver on his promises of radical change.

Senators voted 37 to 36 late Wednesday to give their overall approval to the overhaul bill after 11 hours of heated debate as protesters urging lawmakers to reject Milei’s harsh austerity clashed with police outside Congress. The lawmakers still must approve individual measures in an article-by-article vote that will stretch throughout the night.

In a reflection of the fierce backlash to the legislation and deep polarization gripping Argentina’s Congress, Vice President and head of the Senate Victoria Villarruel cast the tiebreaking vote in favor of Milei’s agenda.

The legislation delegates broad powers to the president in energy, pensions, security and other areas and includes several measures seen as controversial, including a generous incentive scheme for foreign investors, tax amnesty for those with undeclared assets and plans to privatize some of Argentina’s state-owned firms.

If the Senate approves the articles with modifications, the lower house still has to okay them before Milei can claim passing his first law since entering office last December.

As Senators pored over the bills, protesters in downtown Buenos Aires hurled sticks, stones and Molotov cocktails at police who fired water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds.

The fiery right-wing economist rose to power on promises he would resolve Argentina’s worst economic crisis in two decades, with annual inflation climbing toward 300% and a recession deepening.

But his political party of relative novices holds just a tiny minority of seats in Congress and he has struggled to strike deals with the opposition.

Senators approved two bills, a tax package that lowers the income tax threshold and a 238-article state reform bill that passed the lower house of Congress in late April after weeks of negotiations.

Initially dubbed the “omnibus bill” because of its more than 600 articles, the watered-down version at hand still delegates broad legislative powers to the president in energy, pensions, security and other areas.

The proposal’s immense scope — and staunch opposition to it — has limited progress.

“We have the weakest president we’ve ever seen who is trying to pass the biggest bill we’ve ever seen,” said Ana Iparraguirre, an Argentina-based analyst at Washington strategy firm GBAO. “That’s the contradiction.”

Unlike previous Argentine leaders since the return of democracy in 1983, Milei has failed to pass a single piece of legislation during his first six months in office. Instead, the populist outsider has relied on executive powers to slash state spending and sweep away economic restrictions.

“Today, it’s almost more important for Milei to demonstrate that he can pass laws in Congress than what he passes,” said Lucas Romero, director of Synopsis consultancy.

The package has faced tough resistance from the left-leaning Peronist movement loyal to former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, which has dominated Argentine politics for the last two decades and holds sway over the country’s powerful trade unions.

Thousands of bankers, teachers, truckers and workers from a range of other unions converged around Congress throughout the day, banging drums, blasting trumpets and chanting, “Our country is not for sale!” and “We will defend the state!”

“If this law passes, we are going to lose so many of our labor and pension rights,” said 54-year-old teacher Miriam Rajovitcher protesting alongside her colleagues, middle-class Argentines who say they’ve had to reconfigure their lives since Milei slashed their school budgets and devalued the currency, sending inflation soaring. “I am so much wor0se off.

The rally took a tense turn when hundreds of riot officers pushed back with their shields against angry protesters trying to surge through a barrier.

Police used pepper spray, water cannons and tear gas against the huge crowds while demonstrators set two overturned cars ablaze and threw Molotov cocktails.

Dozens of protesters were being treated by medics in the streets and police said 20 officers had been injured in the clashes. At least five Peronist lawmakers said they were hospitalized after police sprayed pepper spray in their eyes.

“Today the government is declaring war on the Argentine people,” Peronist lawmaker Cecilia Moreau told reporters outside Congress.

The presidency called protesters “terrorists” and accused them of “attempting to carry out a coup d’état” by disrupting Congress.

The Peronist bloc controls 33 out of 72 seats in the Senate while Milei’s party, Freedom Advances, holds just seven seats. The bill needed 37 votes from the 72 total legislators in the Senate to get a majority and ended up with a 36-36 tie.

Analysts say that foreign investors and the International Monetary Fund, to which Argentina owes a staggering $44 billion, are closely watching Wednesday’s vote to see whether Milei can build consensus with his opponents to deliver on his ambitions.

Wednesday’s article-by-article vote will stretch for hours, with analysts expecting lawmakers to further weaken the most divisive sections of the bills.

One of the most contested measures is an incentive program to spur foreign investments that offers lucrative tax breaks for 30 years, no import tariffs and other perks for big corporations that critics say go too far.

“What this law is hurting most are the pockets of workers, not the big companies that are just going to get richer,” said 36-year-old Juan Barreto, a bank employee jostling amid crowds of his fellow union members.

Argentina’s unions have also voiced vehement opposition to measures that would make it easier for companies to fire employees as well as plans to privatize some state-owned companies. The question of which ones will head to auction has generated intense debate.

Backlash to the tax bill has centered on an amnesty that would allow Argentines to register undeclared assets at home and abroad without paying heavy taxes, as well as a lower income tax threshold to boost revenue.

Frustrated by legislative resistance, the president has moderated his previous all-or-nothing approach. Earlier this month, in a bid to break the impasse, Milei fired his politically inexperienced Cabinet chief and replaced him with Interior Minister Guillermo Francos, a career politician skilled at congressional wheeling and dealing.

In recent weeks, Argentina has gotten a taste of what awaits if Congress fails to pass the bills.

Sovereign bonds have tumbled. The country’s currency, the peso, has depreciated as well, widening the gap between the official and black market exchange rate to nearly 40%. The peso was trading at 1,255 per greenback on the informal market Wednesday, a rate far lower than earlier this year.

Even as the IMF has praised Milei’s agenda and released tranches of frozen loans, the fund has held back from striking a new deal with Argentina.

Meanwhile, Milei has been in Silicon Valley rubbing shoulders with billionaire tech executives Elon Musk, Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg. The meetings however, have not produced any announcements of substantial investments.

“What you’re seeing in the last three weeks is the market and investors getting a little nervous,” said Marcelo J. García, Americas director at geopolitical risk firm Horizon Engage. “The market is saying, ‘Show me that you can govern.’”

Article Topic Follows: News

Jump to comments ↓

Associated Press

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

News Channel 3 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content

The reforms have been criticized for their potential impact on vulnerable populations, with Argentina's 40 percent poverty rate and 160 percent inflation making safeguards essential.

Title:

Content: Thousands of Argentines protest President Milley's economic measures
Call for court action to repeal decree that undermines workers ’ and consumers ’ rights
Protests against economic decisions in Argentina
Thousands of Argentines demonstrated in Buenos Aires on Wednesday to protest against the decree of comprehensive economic reform and deregulation, proposed by President Javier Mille.
In detail, the protesters, who protested at the call of the unions, demanded that the courts intervene to overturn the decree, which they say undermines the rights of workers and consumers.
Argentina ’ s Congress is holding an extraordinary session this week to consider the decree at the request of the ultra-liberal Mili, who took office on December 10.
The decree would change or repeal more than 350 economic regulations in a country accustomed to heavy government intervention in the market, according to Sky News Arabia.
Among other things, the decree abolishes the rental price cap, some labor protections, and laws that protect consumers from arbitrary price increases at a time when annual inflation exceeds 160 percent and the poverty level is 40 percent.
A number of civic groups on Saturday filed a legal challenge to the constitutionality of the decree, while demonstrators on Wednesday waved Argentine flags and banners reading "The homeland is not for sale".
Building union official Gerardo Martinez told reporters during the march: "We do not question the legitimacy of President Milley, but we want him to respect the separation of powers.
Workers must defend their rights when there is unconstitutionality. ”
Javier Mille's "chainsaw plan" to cut government spending has sparked a series of popular protests against the government.
Other aspects of the decree include ending automatic increases in pensions, imposing restrictions on the right to strike, and easing price caps for private health services.
Some 7,000 public sector contracts are being terminated in a bid to cut government spending.
Unless Congress repeals the plan in its entirety, the decree will go into effect on Friday.
Milley ’ s far-right party has 40 of the 257 members of Congress and seven of the 72 senators.
News you might like.
No stories found.
Sabq Electronic Newspaper
sabq.org

As of 2024, what are the statistics regarding poverty?

What economic issue did Milei want to address?