Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Argentina’s New Leader Is a Snake-oil Salesman with Extreme Views on Abortion, Gay Rights and More. I Fear for My Country

THE GUARDIAN: After his landslide victory in the presidential election, Javier Milei is threatening to undo 40 years of democracy in Argentina

Javier Milei speaks to his supporters after winning the Argentinian presidential election. Photograph: Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images

Anti-woke libertarian Javier Milei’s landslide win in Argentina’s presidential election poses not only a worrying question for my country’s fragile 40-year-old democracy, but could also embolden other extreme libertarians in the US and Europe in their own anti-woke wars.

Milei is often described as an outsider – but his revolutionary persona has been carefully crafted by one of the country’s richest men. Argentinian billionaire Eduardo Eurnekian plugged the wild-haired economist relentlessly on his A24 media network as an antidote to those he views as the dominant “political caste”. Milei has accused the Peronist establishment of being “socialist” because they had legalised gay marriage and abortion, put on trial and sentenced the perpetrators of Argentina’s genocidal 1976-83 dictatorship and threatened to impose new taxes on wealth.

Milei has pledged to review all these achievements, and has even proposed a referendum on the legality of abortion. His party is already working on slashing taxes as soon as it takes office next month, and he has signalled he may exonerate Argentina’s imprisoned dictatorship officers. During a presidential debate, he said that the military were guilty only of “excesses”. » | Uki Goñi | Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Trump and Bolsonaro salute Javier Milei as far right rejoice around the world: ‘El Loco’ wins landslide victory in Argentina that experts say shows scale of frustration with Peronist status quo »