Tens of Thousands Protest in Buenos Aires

Photo Credit: Luis Royabo/AFP via Buenos Aires Times

On Dec. 10, 2023, Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, came into office after winning 56 per cent of the vote. Milei is a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” who, while running, became a divisive candidate known for his radical economic propositions, according to The Economist. He is easily recognized by his signature chainsaw symbol and his admiration of the United States, especially former US president Donald Trump.

Victoria Villarruel, Milei’s running mate and now vice-president, also has a controversial history within the country — she is known mainly for her family connections to military officers who participated in human rights abuses during Argentina’s past dictatorship, according to the Buenos Aires Herald.

For over the past decade, Argentina has dealt with rising poverty and increasing inflation. CNN explains that this made Milei’s extreme ideas appealing, especially to the younger generation, who felt that the current system had failed them. These extreme policies included propositions such as eradicating Argentina's free post-secondary education system and, according to the Buenos Aires Times, ending the existence of the Argentine central bank.

However, only weeks after being elected into office, Milei began to propose bills that made many Argentinians discontent. According to The Economist, this included making state-owned companies private, eliminating price caps, and removing labour reforms. Due to the country’s state of financial crisis, Milei was able to pass these laws without the approval of congress, using Argentina’s Decrees of Necessity and Urgency (DNU), which allows the president to legislate executive orders in extraordinary circumstances. BBC reports that many Argentinians believe that granting Milei enough power to make decisions without consultation would be undermining Argentina’s process of democracy. 

 In order to advance his reform agenda, Milei introduced an Omnibus Law, which is a bill that contains a set of laws that can be passed as one. According to Argentinian newspaper Pagina 12, Milei’s omnibus with more than 600 articles contained many errors, including incorrect or outdated information. 

Many Argentinians were against the laws inside of this omnibus, which would continue to remove labour reforms, lower pensions, and privatize public land. On Jan. 24, tens of thousands of Argentinians protested outside parliament in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city, against the newly proposed omnibus. It was Argentina’s largest demonstration in decades, according to France 24. The protests are being organized by one of Argentina’s main labour groups, the “General Confederation of Labour” or “Confederación General del Trabajo” (GCT). They held signs against the selling of land and rising inflation, which, according to Trading Economics, currently sits at an annual 250 per cent inflation rate.

After the initial protest, more followed. Pagina 12 reports that these peaceful protests have been met with forceful repression and attacks from the police. Demonstrators have been beaten and shot at with rubber bullets, leaving around 60 injured, some severely, and at least three arrested. It is also reported that many of these victims included deputies, reporters, and retired individuals.

On Feb. 2, the Lower House of Congress approved the omnibus bill in general terms, according to CNBC. However, on Feb. 5, the bill was rejected after opposition lawmakers went through specific articles within the bill one by one.

CNBC reports that Milei accused governors of seeking “to destroy” his economic reform bill.

In an official statement on X, which was translated with Google, Argentina’s presidential office said that the governors “decided to turn their backs on the Argentines to protect their interests and prevent the national government from having the tools to solve Argentina’s structural problems.” 

On the other hand, according to CNBC, Jimena Blanco, the head of Americas at the risk consultancy firm Verisk Maplecroft said that “the defeat of Milei’s omnibus bill in the lower house’s plenary debate speaks volumes about the government’s political ‘inexperience’ and is the consequence of trying to push through all reforms in a single mega bill.”