In November, Javier Miley — won the second round of the presidential election in Argentina. a right-wing candidate whom the media calls a political sensation and a “mini-Trump”. And today, December 10, he took the oath of office as president.
In the first round of elections, which took place on October 22, none of the candidates was able to obtain the 45% of votes needed to win.
Argentine Economy Minister Sergio Massa and Libertarian MP Javier Miley competed in it. In the first round, Massa was supported by almost 37% of voters. Miley, who was predicted to win by opinion polls, took second place with 30% of the votes.
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November 19 the second round took place. In it, Miley won more than 56% of the votes.
The presidential elections in Argentina took place against the backdrop of an economic crisis, depreciation of the peso and high inflation approaching 140%. The local currency has lost almost 95% of its value over the past four years: the value of $1 last week exceeded 1 thousand Argentine pesos for the first time.
The country has a large debt to the International Monetary Fund, and more than a third of its residents live below the poverty line.
It is not surprising that the far-right candidate Miley defeated the incumbent candidate.
Javier Miley: what is known about him
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Javier Miley was born in 1970 in Buenos Aires. The father of the 53-year-old politician was the owner of a bus carrier.
In his early years, Miley was a goalkeeper for the local professional soccer club Chacarita Juniors.
He was also interested in rock music and sang in the band Everest, which performed covers of The Rolling Stones songs.
In an interview with The Economist, Miley said that he stopped playing professional football due to the hyperinflation that gripped Argentina in the 1980s. Therefore, he chose the profession of economist, receiving education at several universities in the country.
Miley then worked in financial companies, taught at universities in Argentina and abroad, and wrote a number of books.
His views transformed. Eventually, he became a supporter of the Austrian school of economics, the founder of which was Ludwig von Mises, a native of Lvov.
Javier Miley positions himself as an “anarcho-capitalist”, that is, he advocates non-interference of the state in economic activity.
– You don’t pay taxes voluntarily, you pay them “at gunpoint”… We understand the state as a criminal organization, a violent organization that lives by stealing from honest people. And society functions much better without a state than with a state, I mean, on an ideal level, – this is how Miley explained his views to The Economist.
Supporters of Javier Miley hold a replica of a $100 bill with his photo on it during a rally. Photo: Getty Images
In the 2010s, Miley was a popular commentator on the economic situation in Argentina, appearing on television.
He founded his own electoral coalition, Freedom Comes (La Libertad Avanza). Since 2021, Miley has been a member of parliament from Buenos Aires.
During the 2023 presidential campaign, he stunned the political establishment with his surprise victory in the August primary.
Attitude towards Trump and Ukraine
Javier Miley did not hide his sympathy for the 45th President of the United States Donald Trump, whom he called “one of the best presidents in the history of the United States”.
In addition, Miley stated that he shares the views of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
However, unlike these politicians, Miley strongly supports Ukraine. At the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, he took part in an event in support of the Ukrainians.
– I was one of the first… to condemn the invasion of Ukraine, — emphasized Miley in an interview with The Economist.
He expressed his readiness to meet with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in the first months of his tenure as president, and called dictator Putin “autocrat”.
Miley noted that “if we defend the ideas of freedom, we cannot support and accept the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.
In September 2023, Javier Miley took part in an event organized by the Ukrainian Embassy in Argentina. Then the presidential candidates took pictures with Ukrainian Ambassador Yuri Klimenko, holding sheets of paper with slogans in support of our state.
Javier Miley held a piece of paper with the inscription We are with Ukraine.
“Mini-Trump”: what views does Miley promote
Javier Miley promotes a completely radical approach to governing the country. Given the difficult economic situation, a significant part of voters in Argentina expect change, and for them Miley is a candidate who promises to “disrupt” system.
He is called an Argentine mixture of Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro (former President of Brazil) and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, reports The Guardian.
The New York Times called Miley a “mini-Trump”.
– Donald Trump and his rise to the US presidency in 2016 bear striking similarities… to Argentina's new political sensation, Javier Miley, — writes NYT.
During the election campaign, Miley appeared at rallies with a chainsaw, which was supposed to symbolize his promise to cut government spending and improve the Argentine economy.
He promised to close the Argentine Central Bank, abandon the national currency and transfer the country to the US dollar. These statements provoked a further collapse of the Argentine peso.
In addition, Miley promised to throw out the dominant “political caste” from the offices of power and “strengthen control over the expenses of corrupt politicians”.
Miley's other promises include the privatization of state-owned companies, a sharp reduction in the Argentine government (from 18 to 8 ministries) and the number of officials, reduction in subsidies for gas and electricity, the transition of public education to a voucher system, and the health care system to insurance.
Photo: Getty Images
He assured that government spending would be cut by 15% of Argentina's GDP. Experts have already warned that this could require significant cuts in spending on pensions, education and public safety.
Javier Miley criticized the press and Pope Francis, calling him a “representative of evil on Earth”. The politician called climate change part of the “socialist agenda”, promised to weaken gun control, and questioned the results of the latest presidential elections in the United States and Brazil.
Miley opposes abortion, but said he could support drug legalization.
It was his combative political style that prompted comparisons with Trump.
As Federico Finchelstein, head of the history department at the private university The New School in New York, explained to the NYT, Miley, Trump and Bolsonaro are representatives of modern far-right politics, which are characterized by attacks on government institutions, discrediting the media, and distrust of science, cult of personality.
– Trump is the icon of this new form of extreme populism. And Miley wants to imitate him, — Finchelstein believes.
A special feature of Javier Miley’s election campaign is the active campaigning for him by many young influencers on the social network TikTok.
His opponent, Argentine Economy Minister Sergio Massa, offers voters certainty rather than radical changes. He is a representative of Peronism, a populist-nationalist movement named after the country's ex-president Juan Peron. Adherents of Peronism advocate the maximum role of the state in the economy.
The masses support cuts in employee income taxes and benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Thus, on November 19, Argentines will determine the course of their country for the coming years.
