MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei plans to “dollarize” economy if elected President of Argentina

Ambassador Stanley has met with almost every political leader in the country

Argentine Libertarian Congressman Javier Milei told US Ambassador Marc Stanley he would “dollarize” Argentina if he is elected president in 2023 during a meeting Wednesday at the Embassy in Buenos Aires.

“Thank you Congressman Javier Milei for a very interesting conversation about Argentina, the economy, and the relationship between the U.S. and Argentina,” Stanley posted on social media.

Milei has just returned from Spain, where he participated in a far-right wing Vox event, and from Brazil, where he supported President Jair Bolsonaro's reelection bid.

After Wednesday's meeting, Milei thanked Stanley “for his cordial reception and the very interesting dialogue on Argentina's economic situation and the relationship with the United States”.

According to Liberal sources quoted by Buenos Aires news outlets, the meeting “was divided into two parts”. Milei first “spoke about the macroeconomic context of the country”, the “current monetary imbalance and the dynamics of the Central Bank's liabilities”, which he found “similar to the second half of 1988 before” hyperinflation under President Raúl Alfonsín.

Then Milei outlined “his government plan” in case of being elected. The economist “contemplates dollarization to put an end to inflation” in addition to “fiscal adjustment.”

The sources insisted the topic was brought up by Stanley, whose advising team also participated in the meeting.

Ambassador Stanley intends to talk “with the main Argentine political leaders” before the beginning of the 2023 electoral year. The meeting with Milei was followed by one with the Radical Civic Union (UCR) Congressman Mario Negri and last month he had held encounters with several labor union dignitaries.

Stanley also met with Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner at the Senate and with Ministers Sergio Massa and Wado De Pedro, with Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, with former President Mauricio Macri, and with PRO Chairwoman Patricia Bullrich.