BUENOS AIRES.- The president of Argentina Javier Mile defended the content of the controversial decree with which it seeks to reform the structure of the State and deregulate the economy and noted that “it seeks to increase people’s well-being.”
Milei maintained that the citizens who staged cacerolazos to reject the decree are “embraced and in love with the model that impoverishes them.”
“It may be that there are people who suffer from Stockholm syndrome… There are people who look at communism with nostalgia, love and affection,” said the president.
The economist, who took office 11 days ago, said that the new package of measures, which shakes the foundations of the State and the interventionist economic system in force until now, “is not in favor of companies, it is in favor of the market.”
Milei announced this Wednesday a Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) that eliminates numerous laws and regulations to deregulate the economy and allow the privatization of public companies.
The DNU contains 366 articles aimed at “unlocking the oppressive legal and institutional framework” and in its first article declares “the public emergency in economic, financial, fiscal, administrative, pension, tariff, health and social matters until December 31, 2025 “.
The “shock stabilization plan” will modify the regulatory framework of prepaid medicine and social works and eliminate some of the laws that regulate their operation, as will happen with the prepaid industry sector, pharmaceutical companies, the tourism sector , automobile registration, soccer clubs, land law, the modification of the civil and commercial code, and the total or partial section of the Aerolíneas Argentinas share package.
Regarding public companies, the president announced the elimination of the regulations that prevent their privatization and will transform them into public limited companies as a prior step to their sale; Labor laws will also be reformed to “facilitate the process of generating genuine employment.”
Likewise, the Government will promote “an economic system based on free decisions” through the “deregulation of commerce, services and industry throughout the national territory”, which is why it has left “without effect” any restriction on the supply of goods. and services and regulations that “distort market prices, impede free private initiative or prevent the spontaneous interaction of supply and demand.”
Despite being issued by the Executive Branch, the decree must be sent to Congress by the government within 10 days so that it can be processed by a commission that must issue a ruling in favor or against. Whatever the result of the ruling, the decree must be debated by the plenary session of both chambers in which Milei’s party, La Libertad Avanza, is at a clear disadvantage.
Milei’s party, La Libertad Avanza, has only 40 of the 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and just seven of the 72 seats in the Senate.
The center-right coalition Together for Change, partially allied with Milei, has 81 deputies and 24 senators.
There are also 26 deputies and eight senators who are dissidents of Peronism or belong to provincial parties.
Peronism, in the opposition, is the first minority in both chambers, with 105 deputies and 33 senators. The left has five deputies.
It is unknown how long the discussion of the decree in Congress will take. Meanwhile, the decree is in force.
cacerolazos
After the president announced much of its content on Wednesday night, “cacerolazos” of rejection emerged in several neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. Hours before the presidential announcement, thousands of people had marched called by leftist political and social organizations against the austerity measures announced by the government last week to cut the fiscal deficit and combat inflation of almost 161% annually.
Opposition political parties and unions announced that they will not sit idly by with the president’s orthodox plans.
Milei, who came to power with almost 56% electoral support, seeks to advance as soon as possible with his reforms before the honeymoon with the citizens who voted for him ends, protests deepen and resistance to his initiatives advances in the Parlament.
Milei warned that there will be more measures, for which he will shortly call extraordinary sessions in Congress. “I warn you that more is coming, there is more; “They’re going to find out soon.”
Source: With information from Europa Press / AP
