MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Six in ten Argentines attribute Milei's shift on the Falklands to political convenience

The sovereignty claim enjoys majority backing in Argentine society, but Milei's call for unity inspired confidence in 41% of those consulted and distrust in 56%

Some 61.1% of Argentines believe President Javier Milei adopted his current position on the Falklands out of political convenience, against 24.7% who attribute it to conviction, according to a survey by the consultancy Management & Fit of a thousand respondents with a margin of error of 3%.

The poll was released after the address the president gave to the nation on Thursday, in which he said the islands “are Argentine by history and by right, there is no discussion about it” and announced he would speed up sanctions against oil companies operating in the area without Argentine authorisation. Nine in ten respondents were aware of that address.

The figures distinguish between support for the position and the credibility of the shift. The sovereignty claim enjoys majority backing in Argentine society, but Milei's call for unity inspired confidence in 41% of those consulted and distrust in 56%. On the content of the speech, 44.6% considered he had announced concrete measures and 44.2% that he had confined himself to general statements, a tie within the margin of error.

The position marks a change from his earlier statements. Milei has repeatedly declared his admiration for Margaret Thatcher, British prime minister during the 1982 conflict, and had acknowledged the islanders' right to self-determination, arguing that Argentina should persuade them to prefer being Argentine. That possibility was ruled out in Thursday's message.

After the speech, the Office of the President circulated the results of an open poll run by the newspaper Clarín on its social media accounts, according to which 81.3% of those who responded supported the announced measures. Such polls are not representative samples and are not comparable with probability-based surveys.

The government is drafting a national sovereignty defence bill to send to Congress, along with the terms of the National Security Council the president announced. Officials calculate the opposition will find it difficult to reject legislation strengthening the defence of national interests.

The issue emerged at an adverse moment for the government's economic agenda, little more than a year before the 2027 presidential elections. Unemployment tops Argentines' concerns at 36%, ahead of corruption and inflation; arrears on credit to individuals reached 17.5% in June, and 60% of respondents in another survey expect their personal situation to worsen in coming months. Peronist lawmakers are preparing a session in the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday on maintaining treatment for people with disabilities and relief measures for indebted households.

The United Kingdom has administered the archipelago since 1833 and Argentina maintains a sovereignty claim. In the 2013 referendum, 99.8% of voters backed retaining British overseas territory status, with three votes against. Milei's speech followed remarks by Donald Trump, who said he reviews “every position” when asked about sovereignty over the islands, without committing to any decision.