Argentina: Javier Miley officially inaugurated the president, preparing the country for “shock”

This is his favorite word, his trademark. From this Sunday, the word “carajo”, “brothel”, will be heard within the walls of the Casa Rosada, the residence of the President of Argentina. The new president, Javier Miley, who just took office as president at the end of the ceremony organized this Sunday, must now take up residence there and begin fulfilling his mandate.

At the end of the morning, the self-described “anarcho-capitalist” economist, a 53-year-old TV show stalwart who was elected as an MP just two years ago, took the oath of office in front of parliament.

“In the name of God, Fatherland and the Holy Gospel,” he vowed to honor the office of president with “loyalty and patriotism.” He then received the presidential sash and addressed the crowd gathered outside parliament.

He called on Argentines to come en masse and listen to him: “Bring your flag, Argentina!” “, he invited them in a message on X, accompanied by his favorite slogan, “Long live freedom, damn it!” »

“There is no alternative to adjustment, there is no alternative to shock” in budgetary matters because “there is no money!” “, he said. “The situation will get worse in the short term,” he also warned.

Javier Miley must then travel in a convertible or on foot the two kilometers separating parliament from the Casa Rosada, where a ceremony with foreign dignitaries is planned. France has finally decided to send its civil service minister Stanislas Guerini, who will be alongside Spain’s King Felipe, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, among others. The two men met on Friday. Donald Trump, who promised to visit him, will not attend.

The American delegation is headed by Secretary of State for Energy Jennifer Granholm. The United States wants to cement its friendship with the world’s leading producer of lithium, a mineral needed to make electric batteries. Granholm and Juan Gonzalez, an adviser to US President Joe Biden and senior director of the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere, have given Washington’s support to the newly-elect in his negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the distribution of his colossal debt.

Forty years after the return of democracy, Argentina today has 45.7 million inhabitants and is experiencing a deep economic crisis with soaring inflation exceeding 150%. Miley is preparing to introduce a series of measures to curb government spending, a “shock” therapeutic plan that its supporters hope will stabilize the economy but which risks being painful for Argentines, at least in the short term, with more than 40% of the population living in poverty line. After his resounding victory, Javier Miley warned that there would be “no room for lethargy or half-measures” and that inflation would not be brought under control for “18 to 24 months.”

VIDEO. Percussion program of Javier Miley, the new President of Argentina

One thing is certain: Miley will have to compromise. His fledgling La Libertad Avanza party has only 35 deputies out of 257 and 7 senators out of 72, and the next legislative elections are not scheduled for two years, halfway through the president’s term. While focusing on economic issues, Miley should primarily avoid engaging with social issues on which he takes an extreme position. As such, he opposes abortion, legalized in 2021 in Argentina after years of waiting, and supports everyone’s right to bear arms, but he also advocates legalizing drug sales and organ trafficking. He also says he is convinced that climate change is not “a human responsibility” and that pollution can help create wealth.