Within hours of speaking for the first time as president in front of the National Congress at the opening of ordinary sessions, President Javier Milei gave an extensive interview to the Financial Times.
The president said he was willing to override the hostile legislators who blocked his proposals to carry out the economic reforms that he and his team propose, and that he will make the reforms "by decree" if necessary.
He said he doesn't need lawmakers to implement his radical austerity plan.
From the Casa Rosada, the president assured the editor of the FT that he was making faster progress than expected with a fiscal adjustment so drastic that it had no parallel
"not only in Argentina but in the world."
According to the American media, the President assured that he does not need Congress to save the economy, and anticipated that the country can "grow strong" next year.
“As long as Congress has its current composition, we believe that it is difficult to approve reforms,
because what was clear with the (economic reform project) is that politicians have no problem harming the interests of Argentines to maintain their privileges,” he warned. .
“There are other reforms that we can make by decree... changing the application of the laws, and we will do all of that,” Milei said during the interview published this Thursday and signed by Ciara Nugent and Michael Stott.
Javier Milei
In that sense, he noted that about a third of the 1,000 proposed reform measures were included in an emergency decree
that will remain in force unless both chambers of Congress vote to reject it.
“We are willing to resubmit all reforms after December 11, 2025. We have submitted 1,000 but we still have to submit 3,000 more,” he said.
And he clarified that he will continue to send reforms little by little to Congress to expose what he called political games by the country's political “caste” of professional politicians.
"Those who vote against will be identified as enemies of change
," he said.
Continuing with the economic issue, Milei believes that lifting exchange controls would open a virtuous circle of economic recovery.
“We could have a lot of investment despite not having institutional changes
.
.
.
and this could be the take-off point so that
next year Argentina will be growing strongly, solidly, sustainably and with low inflation
. ”
Milei said Argentina would be in a position to do so next year.
"If we maintain a zero deficit, of course we can achieve it," she said.
Despite rising levels of poverty, according to the FT,
Milei remains confident that his popularity and his candor
with Argentines before the election about the need for painful economic change will carry him through.
"The word that best represents this government is hope,"
he said, stating that polls show that a growing proportion of Argentines believe the economy will improve in six months.
Analysts warn that the key to Milei's success will be how long poorer Argentines, who have already endured rampant price increases, tolerate such measures.
Argentina's confederation of unions has already held a nationwide general strike against its government and several smaller protests have taken place.
S.N.