The elected president of Argentina, Javier Milei, has announced some of the immediate measures that he will take as soon as he takes office. Some measures that have caused concern among some of the affected sectors.

The ultra-liberal Javier Milei has won the Argentine presidential elections with a clear advantage of eleven points over his rival, the Peronist Sergio Massa, and will thus try to launch a revolution in the economic policies and international alignment of the South American country to break with the four years of Alberto Fernández’s mandate.

The eccentric Milei has placed Argentina’s economic restructuring as the spearhead of his electoral campaign, promising not only the dollarization of the economy, but also to drastically reduce the number of ministries, going from 18 portfolios to just eight, in which the president-elect already classified as a “complete reform of the State”.

His government will go from 18 to 8 ministries

For now, Milei has confirmed that he will eliminate 11 ministries to keep 8 and has said that he intends to turn Argentina into an economic power.

Of the eight ministries that his government will have, it is already known who will occupy the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Social Security. Milei has announced that the Ministry of Justice will be headed by criminal lawyer Mariano Cúneo Libarona and that his former candidate for governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, Carolina Píparo, will be head of the National Social Security Administration (Anses).

As promised throughout his campaign, Milei’s Argentina will consist of the ministries of Economy, Foreign Affairs, Public Works, Security, Justice, Interior, Defense and Human Capital, which will unify those of Social Development, Health, Labor and Education.

Their economic plans: privatization of public companies

His economic recipe involves privatizing public companies such as the oil company Yacimientos Petrolófilos Fiscales (YPF), Public Television, Radio Nacional and the Télam news agency “more for symbolic than budgetary reasons.”

This measure may also affect the National Institute of Science and Audiovisual Arts or the National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism.

In addition to cuts in state spending, Milei has promised in recent months a battery of economic measures in which the dollarization of the country is the star proposal, but that hides another series of initiatives such as the drastic reduction of public spending to less than 15 percent of the Gross Domestic Product or the reduction of taxes.

In this area, his commitment to eliminate the Central Bank of Argentina stands out, that will not only end inflation “forever”, but will allow Argentines to “trade with the currency they want.”

Argentina has been immersed in a financial crisis for more than 20 years, which forced the country to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund in 2018 to pay the debt. Inflation in Argentina is currently 142.7 percent and rising.

Milei also advocates “eliminate 90 percent of current taxes”Well, according to him, “they only have an impact of around two percent of GDP in terms of revenue but they hinder the functioning of the economy,” according to the newspaper ‘Ámbito’.

Likewise, its electoral program includes the reform of the energy system to reverse a situation of “disinvestment, definancing and inefficiency”, advocating at this point to eliminate subsidies; at the same time as cuts in spending on retirements and pensions, pointing to the transition towards a private model.

International policy

As far as Argentina’s position on the international scene is concerned, Milei has advocated breaking with the positions of Alberto Fernández, who was closer to Brazil and China, and opting to strengthen not only relations with the United States, but also with Israel.

In this way, Argentina would distance itself from the trend in South and Central America. Bolivia and Belize have broken diplomatic relations with Israel, while other countries such as Colombia, Honduras or Chile have called their ambassadors in Tel Aviv for consultations.

Shortly after certifying his victory, Milei announced that before December 10 – the date of the inauguration – he will travel to the United States and also to Israel, this second destination after receiving an invitation from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. “Those are the first trips I am going to make. Everything will be before assuming (the position),” said the elected president.

Justice, Education and Security

Milei has proposed a reform of the judicial system, Because in recent years Justice has worked at the service of the ruling political class and “instead of functioning as a defender of the rights of individuals, it has been used to persecute opponents and favor friends.”

Thus, the ultraliberal opted during his electoral campaign to promote a remodeling of the system that “has as its goal the depoliticization of Justice and the defense of the fundamental rights of Argentines.” Milei has also promised to fill the vacancies that exist in the Supreme Court of Justice and in the position of attorney general.

In terms of Education, a ministry that Milei directly related to “indoctrination”, the president-elect promised at the time move towards a model “of free choice and competition”allowing the parents of the students to choose the contents taught in the classrooms.

Finally, in terms of security Milei has opted to implement a system “based on the principle that whoever does it pays”thus paving the way towards a reform of the Internal Security, National Defense and Intelligence law, as well as fighting against land occupation and “prioritizing the fight against drug trafficking.”

“Due to the elephantine size of the State, all control has been lost over the actions not only of the forces, but of each level of the State,” a Milei has denounced on some occasion, lamenting that “security in Argentina has fallen into deterioration.” constant for decades.