Reality has put a stop to Javier Milei's ambitions in Argentina.
With a large opposition majority, Congress vetoed the omnibus law with which the far-right party intended to begin the dismantling of the State.
The Government party has only 37 of the 257 deputies that make up the Lower House, 92 less than necessary to achieve the majority.
In the Senate, its situation is similar: it has 7 of 72 seats.
Milei took office on December 10, warned that any bill would require arduous negotiations with the moderate opposition, a heterogeneous bloc made up of non-Kirchnerist Peronists, representatives of provincial parties, deputies of the Radical Civic Union (social democratic) and the Pro, the party that brought liberal president Mauricio Macri to power in 2015.
But instead of dialogue, Milei clung to the “anti-caste” discourse that he agitated during the campaign and broke all bridges with his allies.
The discussion of the most important law of the new Government was presented as a battle between "the people", represented by the president, and "the thieving politicians" who, according to Milei, enrich themselves with the money of "good Argentines."
The moderate opposition was willing to support the omnibus law, but warned that it would not be easy to approve the entire bill with more than 600 articles that addressed everything from fiscal emergencies to the automobile registration regime.
It was dangerous to open hundreds of fronts at the same time when citizen concerns were limited to solving the problem of inflation, already at 211% year-on-year.
The law finally fell this week due to opposition votes and the entire process returned to the starting point.
The Government was overconfident.
He maintains that the 56% of the votes obtained in the second round of elections protect his ideas from any criticism.
He did not take into account that democracy requires consensus and concessions and ignored the experienced deputies who pointed out the lack of knowledge of parliamentary rules of the new legislators of La Libertad Avanza, the governing party.
When she lost the vote, Milei—who was on an official visit to Israel—accused her allies of being traitors and corrupt.
Milei seems willing to break the rules of democracy, convinced that they are his only obstacle to realizing his far-right ideas.
This week, Argentines learned of a bill that silently entered Congress to once again criminalize abortion, repealing the law passed in 2020. The initiative speaks of saving the country from an alleged “moral deterioration” of Argentina, the origin of the economic ills it suffers.
The authoritarian drift that hides this type of messianic discourse should put the democratic forces of the South American country on alert.