MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei says Argentina was left in a “regrettable” situation

Milei insisted those who opposed his DNU were the ones who would lose some privileges

Argentine President Javier Milei said his country's situation was “regrettable.” He made those remarks Saturday evening during his appearance together with Security Minister Patricia Bullrich on a live TV show with 96-year-old hostess Mirtha Legrand.

“There is no money. The truth is that they have looted the country. They have left us with a consolidated deficit of 15 points of GDP,” the head of state explained and insisted Argentina was on the verge of a crisis. Faced with this situation, Milei's government was forced to implement a strong fiscal adjustment, equivalent to 5 points of GDP, with a considerable impact on the public sector. But “we are confident; the key in our economic program is the savings that the adjustment will generate” and that, on the other hand, there is “a counter-proposal of investment.”

“They left the country on the verge of what could be the worst crisis in history,” stressed Milei. However, “we cannot govern with a rear-view mirror; we have to look forward,” the president went on and underlined that “we have started to win the cultural battle.”

Regarding the jeering when he voted at the Club Atlético Boca Juniors elections, Milei admitted: “I knew that Mr. Riquelme and his hooligans were going to insult me.” Former Argentine international Juan Román Riquelme was elected club president on Dec. 17, beating Andrés Ibarra, whose running mate was no other than former club and country President Mauricio Macri.

When asked about his most-encompassing emergency decree (DNU) and the fear it generated, Milei argued that “populism destroyed our income, that is something to be afraid of” and argued that pot-banging protesters were complaining “because they lose privileges.” In his view, “we make markets more competitive” with this decree.