Just one day into his tenure as Argentina's new president, Javier Milei wasted no time in implementing his campaign promises of austerity measures. In a characteristic display of boldness, Milei, a fervent libertarian economist and former television commentator, swiftly eliminated the Ministry of Culture on December 11, following his inauguration on December 10. Additionally, the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity fell victim to his cost-cutting approach, as symbolized by the chainsaw he carried throughout his campaign to emphasize his commitment to reducing government expenditure.
Furthermore, several other ministries underwent restructuring. The Ministries of Social Development, Education, and Labor, Employment, and Social Security will be consolidated into a newly created Ministry of Human Capital, overseen by former TV producer Sandra Pettovello. Simultaneously, the Ministries of Public Works, Transportation, Energy, Mining, and Communications will amalgamate to form a fresh Ministry of Infrastructure. It appears that the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Women, Gender, and Diversity will be entirely dissolved.
Following a runoff election victory over Argentina's former economic minister, Sergio Massa, Milei is determined to demonstrate his dedication to austerity measures to his supporters. As a self-described "anarcho-capitalist," he initiated substantial subsidy reductions for gas and electricity and canceled public projects, deeming these actions necessary to regain control of Argentina's economy. Furthermore, Milei unveiled plans to devalue the Argentine peso to half its current value against the dollar in an effort to combat hyperinflation, a move that received approval from the International Monetary Fund, to which Argentina owes more than $40 billion. Over the past year, prices in Argentina have more than doubled, and 40% of the population now resides below the poverty line.
While Milei presents his actions as economic policy, they also serve as a means of exerting control. He openly admires figures like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, former presidents of the United States and Brazil, respectively, and Milei has a track record of flamboyant displays, dismissive treatment of journalists, and the promotion of ultra-right views on contentious topics such as abortion, immigration, climate change, and gun ownership. He doesn't hesitate to launch scathing attacks on his political opponents, often resorting to derogatory terms like "garbage" and "human excrement" to describe socialists. (It's worth noting that Bolsonaro similarly eliminated his country's cultural ministry upon taking office, and Trump congratulated Milei on his victory by suggesting that he would "make Argentina great again.")
Milei goes so far as to label his own country's Ministry of Education as the "Ministry of Indoctrination," and his disdain for the arts and humanities extends even to history. He publicly casts doubt on the number of individuals killed and forcibly disappeared during Argentina's 1970s military junta, and he mocks human rights activists. Milei's vice president, Victoria Villarruel, consistently defends the junta's actions, even organizing a tribute to the "victims" of leftist groups from the 1970s in September. She has called for the dismantling of the ESMA Museum and Site of Memory in Buenos Aires, a former junta prison and torture facility that was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Selena Mattei