Number of ministries reduced to 9
As soon as he took power on December 10, 2023, Milei reduced the number of ministries from 19 to 9, fired 50,000 civil servants and suspended all new public tenders. The government also cut fuel and transportation subsidies. The country posted a budget surplus after 12 years.
However, "Crazy Jaiver" has come under fire for closing the state-owned news agency Telam and the anti-discrimination agency. The government has also been criticized for cutting funding for scientific research and the film industry.
"Mega decree" rejected
"Milei's ambitious plans did not go according to plan from a legal point of view," AFP reported. The president's party is a minority in the bicameral Argentine parliament. His opponents have repeatedly rejected Milei's reforms, the report said.
The "mega-decree", which includes more than 300 amendments to laws and regulations, such as lifting the cap on rental fees and relaxing labor laws, was rejected in the Senate last week.
Experts said the mega-decree, even if passed, could be unconstitutional. "Stabilization is progressing better than initially thought, but there are question marks about governance," said economist Marina Dal Poggetto.
"Milei wants to advance his political and economic project at 100 kilometers per hour, but the government's cruising speed is much lower," said Carlos Malamud, a researcher at the Royal Institute of Elcano.
Poverty rate skyrockets
"Milei warned coming into office that things would get worse before they got better, and they did," the agency said. For example, the government devalued the peso by 54 percent against the dollar and cut subsidies for energy and transportation. Argentines' purchasing power has thus fallen and economic growth has slowed.
Although the rate of monthly inflation slowed in February, annual inflation reached 276 percent. According to a study published last month by the Catholic University of Argentina, the poverty rate in the country of 46 million people reached 57.4 percent. On the one hand, the government has stopped aid to about 40 thousand soup kitchens until inspections are carried out. In the country, protesters reacting to Milei's policies took to the streets yesterday. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons.
Maria Medina, a member of Polo Obrero, an organization of left-wing protesters, said, "Hunger is rampant in the streets. Food has not been sent to soup kitchens for 4 months. Children need it," she said.
He visited the Pope whom he called an "imbecile"
AFP reported that "Crazy Javier" is also often controversial for his posts on social media. Described as a "social media addict", the Argentine president frequently targeted his rivals on online channels. It was also stated that Milei's statement that he considers abortion as "murder" also drew reaction.
Before taking office, the Argentine president insulted Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of Catholics and head of state of the Vatican. Although Milei targeted the Argentine Pope with expressions such as "madman who supports communism", "representative of evil in the house of God" and "imbecile", he visited the Pope last month. According to the report in La Repubblica newspaper, Milei called the Pope, whom he had previously called "imbecile", "the most important Argentine" and kissed his hand during yesterday's meeting.
