lThe equation seemed impossible. Opponents and analysts predicted political paralysis or, on the contrary, an immediate authoritarian drift. The ultraliberal Javier Milei came to power in Argentina in December 2023 without any guarantee of being able to govern. Only 38 deputies out of 257 belong to the presidential coalition – the third group in the Lower House – and only 7 senators out of 72. The great weakness of the presidential group in Parliament is the manifestation of the dazzling career of Javier Milei, an outsider. He has no relief either among the provincial governors (24 in this federal country), or among the municipalities.
However, Javier Milei manages to apply the main lines of his program, in relying on institutional mechanisms. Thus, as soon as he came to power, he announced a “megadecree” presidential election aimed at deregulating the economy. If it was rejected by the Senate three months later – which the law allows – and is the subject of various unconstitutionality appeals, it remains in force as it has not been discussed in the Lower House.
Above all, against all expectations, in June the executive managed to get Parliament to approve a law that allows the president to govern for a year without going through Congress on administrative, economic and energy matters. In September and October, Javier Milei scored two other legislative victories: the validation of his vetoes to catch up with pensions and the university budget.
For this, it has a great ally of circumstance: the political coalition PRO (Republican Proposal), of former president Mauricio Macri (right, in power from 2015 to 2019). A part of the center and center-right also votes in favor of ultra-liberal reforms. Elected officials that Javier Milei had treated as“useless” and“scammers” during the presidential campaign.
For them, Milei represents the opportunity to administer shock therapy, a financial orthodoxy to which they adhere ideologically, without really getting their hands dirty. Secondary characters do not give their support immediately, sometimes allowing themselves to be convinced at the last moment, taking care to leave the leading role to the libertarians. The latter will thus assume the unpopularity of the bitter concoction administered to the population.
Skillful negotiations
Javier Milei’s parliamentary allies are sometimes much more surprising: Peronists (a diverse movement, from left to center, that currently suffers from a lack of leadership), but sworn enemies of the president. Deputies who can obey the voting instructions of a Peronist governor, as in the case of Tucumán (north). “The provinces, especially those in the north, depend enormously on the funds paid to them by the central authorities. “This is a vote linked to the promise of future media.”analyzes Lucas Romero, political scientist and director of the consulting firm Synopsis. Provinces that may also be seduced by the possible economic consequences of Javier Milei’s deregulatory policies.
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