Various conjectures have been woven to explain Milei's meteoric rise to the Presidency of the Republic. Undoubtedly, many voters alien to his ideology bet on the one who promised to solve the problems to which neither of the two major coalitions knew how to provide answers.
It was a vote against "caste", a concept that struck a chord with a weary and disbelieving society. The deregulations and reforms proposed through a DNU and an "omnibus law" are yet another symptom of the exhaustion of the political system that emerged from the 2001 crisis. From this exhaustion Milei emerged, without organization or equipment of his own, only brandishing a chainsaw, a symbol of the liquidation of the old regime and of the task comparable to that of a Robespierre: to sweep away a system that condemns us to backwardness.
Without the implementation of the reforms, Milei warns that a "catastrophe of biblical proportions" is looming. There is no time to lose. We are facing an emergency that demands answers at a time that is not the time it takes Congress to develop consensus to transform them into laws.
The image of an effective and efficient Milei manager, in the face of a slow and non-transparent political system, seeks to reinforce empathy towards the population suffering from the current economic context. It promises a painful transition, the duration of which will depend on the speed and effectiveness with which the proposed measures are implemented.
The future benefits are unclear to many experts. And yet, the idea that there is no other alternative takes root in a society that knows that "this is no more." As in Tatcherism, it seems that there are no options and evokes the decade of the 90s that gave life to Menemism.
The situation is critical and has been taken to extremes by the irresponsibility of the previous administration, determined to get votes at the price of an uncontrolled monetary issue.
Today, Argentina holds the record for inflation in the world, surpassing Venezuela. With nearly half of the population in poverty and households' purchasing power damaged day after day -- people's incomes have plummeted and today the average has fallen from $1,700 in 2017 to $400 -- another troubling question arises. How long will the endurance of Argentines from different social backgrounds who bet on this change last?
The explosion is what the sectors of Kirchner's Peronism promise, today turned into defenders of the division of powers, egged on by trade unionists and social leaders, all willing to defend their hunting grounds. "We have to win the streets until the government falls," proclaims a prestigious filmmaker who takes us back to the dark years of violence. The CGT decided on a general strike before the end of the two-month term. A business political unionism continues to struggle to survive in this prebendary capitalism and a romanticism nostalgic for the tragic seventies refuses to die.
The situation is critical in economic, political and social terms. The responsible leadership knows that the bulk of the package of deregulation and reforms, even if with modifications or postponements, will have to see the light of day. There are reforms that cannot be postponed, and a program of stabilization of the economy is needed, without which no reform will succeed.
There is no room for ambiguity on the part of those who from JxC proclaimed the need for change. These are dangerous times throughout the world against the backdrop of wars that threaten to become widespread. In France,
Macron resorted to the decree without a vote to implement the reform of the pension system, a key issue among the country's demands for "Toujours plus". Macron managed to survive the no-confidence vote in a parliamentary regime that has instruments that the presidential system lacks. Our DNUs only fall if both chambers reject it, thanks to the 2006 law, an initiative of then-Senator Cristina Kirchner.
Uncertainty is the hallmark of the political situation. We know that the opportunity to get out of the swamp in which we are submerged is at stake, but it may be another missed opportunity. This crossroads requires responsible decisions that, rather than abdicating convictions, achieve compromises that make them possible.
Institutions and people are needed. We have the institutions, but they are weakened by the behaviors of many of the people who make them up. It's a challenge for lawmakers.
Today, on the eve of a decisive election in the United States because the fate of a world order undermined by the growth of autocracies is at stake, we are going through dangerous times. The "Political Risk 2024" Report prepared by the CIEUC provides us with a decalogue of the challenges that the region will face, among which insecurity, organized crime and drug trafficking are at the top of the list.
In addition, the report warns that there will be no tailwind in 2024 and that South America will have the lowest growth rate in a context of radicalization of social protest.
A gloomy outlook to which international instability adds uncertainty. In today's world, the political future of the divided Argentina in which we live today is at stake. Who will Argentine society trust if Milei's bid for change fails?