MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei eyes plebiscite if DNU fails through Congress

If the economic plan goes wrong, Argentina blows up, “but if nothing is done, it also explodes,” Milei reckoned

Argentine President Javier Milei said he would call for a popular consultation if his most-encompassing emergency decree (DNU) issued last week fails through Congress.

“If they reject the DNU, I would call for a plebiscite. The mega-decree has more than 75% approval, so they should explain to me why they want something against the people,” he argued. “You don't know how much strength you have until you put it to the test,” he added.

Asked about the DNU's dubious constitutionality, Milei explained that his measure was ”contemplated in the Constitution, the problem is that they don't like it, they cannot say it, they want to grab some benefit to pass the law. It goes against the tongos (tricks) of the caste. The problem is that with this mechanism they cannot bite,“ Milei also pointed out.

The head of state also underlined that some lawmakers were stalling their review of the decree because they were ”looking for bribes“ to greenlight it. ”Let them try,“ he said defiantly while insisting that his ”economic program was well received by the market.“

”It is not that the program is friendly with companies, it is friendly with competition and good Argentines,“ Milei noted. He also highlighted that three marches had been staged already after only 16 days in office. ”Can't they accept that they lost?“ he wondered.

Milei also said he knew that if the economic plan goes wrong, the country would blow up, ”but if nothing is done, it also explodes.”

Opposition labor unions plan to stage yet another demonstration Wednesday before the main Courthouse to demand that the DNU be declared unconstitutional by the Judiciary and therefore repealed.

Regarding the US$ 16 billion payment Argentina must make in January for the repossession of the oil company YPF, Milei said he would create a so-called Kicillof tax so that people would remember every month to whom they owed the burden. Current Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof was Economy Minister under then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK) when the Argentine government bought back YPF from Spain's Repsol. Kicillof himself handled the transaction. After losing the Nov. 19 runoff to Milei, the opposition has been trying to gather strength under Kicillof's leadership.