Economist Javier Miley is running for councilor and was the third most voted candidate in Buenos Aires, the stronghold of Vice President Christina Kirchner.
Manuel Cortina / SOPA Images / Sip via Reuters ConnectCandidate Javier Miley gained notoriety in the elections even without a political background
Naturally disheveled hair added to formal attire and catchphrases played on social media are some of the characteristics that give the populist look and figure of the economist. Javier Miley defeat Argentina… At the age of 50 and without any tradition in the country’s politics, he, who had already recruited social media for polemics and radical opinions against traditional candidates, entered the primary elections, finishing third in polls of MPs in Buenos Aires. The stronghold of the current vice president, Christina Kirchner, with more than 13% of the vote, is the “third option” for those looking to avoid the usual two-party regime. On Instagram, which has almost 900,000 followers, Miley reproduces complaints and criticisms of competitors, promotes her economic course and reproduces the catchphrase “Live for freedom, dude ***”. Conquering not only the crowd of older conservatives, but also young people who have just won the right to vote in the country, and alerting of the arrival of the ultra-right wave in yet another Latin American country.
Despite the fact that Javier Miley does not consider himself ultra-right, calling himself just a liberal, experts have heard Young frying pan note that the candidate adheres to the classic positions of extreme conservatism. According to Paulo Velasco, associate professor of international politics at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, there are at least three characteristics of the extreme right in the economist: an anti-political stance with rhetoric that classifies most candidates as corrupt and self-interested free riders; a conservative agenda of morality and good practice versus progressive programs such as abortion; defending macroeconomic adjustment through reform, which is still poorly explained to the public. “He talks about reform, but nobody really knows what magic he will do in terms of reform. He says he won’t deliver [as mudanças] in public opinion, which is unrealistic, because the rope always ends on the side of the citizen, ”the professor assesses.
Professor Regian Nitsch Bressan of the São Paulo School of Politics, Economics and Business of the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp) also cites Miles’ rhetoric in defense of freedom and property rights, speeches that are points of view, as characteristic features. commonality between the candidate and other far-right politicians such as Jair Bolsonaro e Donald Trump… The desire to dissolve the Central Bank, reduce the number of parliamentarians in the country and reduce the salaries of bureaucrats and members of the political class are also other hallmarks of the candidate, as well as the desire to sever ties with countries that many consider to be dictatorships of the left in Latin America. “He wants to completely abandon support for some countries in the region, such as Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, especially Venezuela, with which Argentina supports support, while Colombia, Chile and Brazil are already far advanced,” he says. However, Professor UERJ reminds that the characteristics of the Miles are not common to Argentine democracy, but on the other hand, they are not new in the world. “This reflects a lot of what we saw in Europe, the US and Brazil as more right-wing. They are not the traditional Argentine right, like the Radical Civil Union, or even part of Peronism. It also does not reflect Macrismo’s law or the 1990s law under President Menem. This is something much more right than that, ”he explains.
Government Rejection Vote May Explain Candidate Growth
The promotion of a right-wing candidate for the primaries is not an isolated case in Argentina. Of the 24 districts in the country, only six at the polling stations were leaders from the party of the current leftist President Alberto Fernandez. Together for Change, led by former President Mauricio Macri, won 41.50% of the vote, signaling a weakening of the current presidency. “This indicates both dissatisfaction with the economy, which in recent years has not been able to respond, even to Macri’s changes, and the current political changes, since the very conservative wave that came from Europe passed through the United Kingdom, the United States. The States, and now he seems to be here in Latin America “, – analyzes Professor Regian. In the specific case of the candidate of the Libertarian Party, she sees his support not only as a promotion from the right, but also as a rejection of traditional politics.” He is gaining more and more support, this popular support is defined by both far-right and right-wing people, but also as a protest vote. Thus, those who are very dissatisfied with the policy of Macri, all these years of kirchnerism, find in him an increasingly popular figure to demonstrate their protest, “notes he. Velasco also does not see in the percentage of primary elections a population that fully agrees with the radic the ideas of the economist.
“I think the primary results are not yet a definitive thermometer. I understand that they are a strong indicator of the November legislative elections, but they are not decisive. I see that there were a lot of punishments, protest votes. In other words, there is frustration with Argentina’s economic chaos, which has been going on for several years now. The one who pays the duck turns out to be the one in power, so the next wave is Fernandez. However, I do not see the 13% who voted for libertarians truly identify with this Milei program, this more radical program, ”he said. Even with an inevitable victory in the elections, the economist will not be able to push through to the government all the programs he wants for the country, since he will be only one of 257 deputies. “Of course, he will not succeed in all this. He doesn’t even have the strength to be part of what he wants, but [se for eleito] it can become more visible, get more and more support, ”the professor from Unifesp analyzes.
Professor UERJ recalls that, according to Miley legend, the Libertarian Party is optimistic that four candidates will be elected in 2021. “He alone will have much less power than he can count on a congregation of four libertarians. From [dessa definição] he will try to show the service. From a practical point of view, in parliament, over time, he will be able to make some proposals and support projects that try to limit the MPs’ access to state resources. He may try to move forward with a project that will pay off the Central Bank of Argentina, as he is also very critical of spending, but he is unlikely to have a very large gathering in front of the coalitions, Juntos Por El Cambio and Frente de Todos. It will be a smaller bench without much specific impact, ”he analyzes.
Chances for the presidency in 2023
Allegedly, the candidate’s presence on social media spawns a series of hashtags pointing to his victory in 2021, as well as in 2023, when the country must decide whether Alberto Fernandez will remain in office or a new president will take office in Argentina. Experts have different assessments of the candidate’s role in the upcoming national elections in the country. Velasco points out that there are a number of conditions to be faced and says it is too early to say whether Miles’ advance to the primaries is just a “fire of stubble” or a real trend towards growing conservatism in the country. He also recalls that “the worst of all worlds” for a candidate would not be to win the parliamentary elections and remain out of sight until 2023. “If you look at the last elections in Latin America, in Uruguay, Ecuador, Peru, then there was always a candidate from the far-right, trying to conquer this wave so characteristic of the world lately. Now it’s Argentina’s turn, ”he notes. Bressan, in turn, believes in the possibility of a more bottom-up law, mainly due to popular discontent with the country’s crisis management. “I think it is too early to say that he will run and win elections closer to 2023, but it is not surprising that he will run or even be elected in 2027,” he analyzes. The primary election helped determine which candidates will appear on the ballot on November 14, when voters go to the polls again to renew the Senate and half of Argentina’s House.
