Future is Now: Argentina gets a ‘madman’ as new President!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Argentina’s new President-elect, his followers claim, is a ‘madman’ who takes advice from his dogs!
Not just this. He has even denounced Pope Francis, a native of Argentina, as an ‘imbecile’ and a ‘filthy leftist’. Notably, the Pope has no dearth of enemies in his predominantly Roman Catholic homeland and his visits have been postponed repeatedly.
Meet Javier Milei, 53, the right-wing politician known for his controversial views on anything under the Sun, whom Argentina has elected as the Head of State and Government this week, the media reported on Tuesday.
He is a former rock band member, ex-tantric sex coach, and someone who allegedly takes advice from his dogs. He is also a football fanatic, known for his extravagant claims.
Tired of its run-of-the-mill politicians, the Argentinians elected him to solve their poly-crises. With hyperinflation at 143 percent, extreme poverty, and a pervasive view that everything is broken, they decided that someone called “the madman” by his followers, who has wielded a chainsaw on several occasions to call for a drastic cut in the size of the government may have just the radical ideas they need to take the country back on the path of economic prosperity.
With his wild hair reminiscent of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and political views that have earned him comparisons with former US president Donald Trump, the right-wing politician has, in the past, also called Al Capone a hero and dubbed Pope Francis an ‘imbecile’ and a ‘filthy leftist’.
A libertarian and a self-described anarcho-capitalist, what helped Milei win the election was that he was running against Economy Minister Sergio Massa from the ruling party, who was seen by many voters as representing the status quo.
Bursting into the public consciousness as a television panelist who ranted against government spending and corruption, he entered politics only in 2020 with a promise to “blow up the system” and was elected a lawmaker the next year. His party is called Libertad Avanza, or Freedom Advances.
He appeared in a superhero costume, dubbing himself General Ancap (anarcho-capitalist), and has been seen with a chainsaw on several occasions, including when he cut down a pinata with it on TV. The chainsaw, which was meant to represent cutting through government bureaucracy, was quickly adopted by his followers as an election symbol of sorts and one of his followers even appeared on TV wearing a cardboard chainsaw mask.
After winning one round of polls, Milei thanked his five dogs, Conan the mastiff and four clones of the now-dead dog, who are named Murray, Milton, Robert, and Lucas after economists Murray Rothbard, Milton Friedman, and Robert Lucas. He also claimed that Conan was his “son” who gave him the mission to be president.
In interviews with Argentinian media outlets, the politician also called dogs the “best strategists in the world” and said that they advise him on various issues.
Milei, who often calls himself “the lion,” supports more relaxed gun laws and an abortion ban. He has also called for the elimination of the central bank and said he will end the use of the local currency, the peso, and replace it with the US dollar. In a controversial claim, he also said that humans are not responsible for climate change.
Analysts said that the main driver of Milei’s victory was voter anger at the status quo, rather than his personality or views on various issues.
