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Presidency of Javier Milei

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Javier Milei
Presidency of Javier Milei
10 December 2023 – present
Javier Milei
Party
Election2023
Seat

Standard of the President
This article is part of
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Javier Milei
Political career
President of Argentina
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Javier Milei's signature

Javier Milei's tenure as the 59th president of Argentina began with his inauguration on 10 December 2023. Milei, a member of La Libertad Avanza, took office after defeating then-economy minister Sergio Massa in the 2023 general election. His administration began during deep economic turmoil as part of the ongoing Argentine monetary crisis, with inflation surpassing 100% in the months prior to his inauguration.

Described along right-libertarian lines, Milei pursued deregulation policies to alleviate the national economic crisis. He eliminated several government ministries within his first months in office, achieving a budget surplus for the first time since 2011. On foreign affairs, the Milei administration distanced itself from left-wing governments such as those of Venezuela and Cuba, favouring closer ties with Israel amid its war with Hamas and Ukraine during the Russo–Ukrainian War.

Background

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2023 presidential campaign and election

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Further information: 2023 Argentine general election and Javier Milei 2023 presidential campaign

On 11 April 2022, Milei announced his candidacy in an interview with Clarín.[1] Milei chose Victoria Villarruel, a National Deputy for the conservative Democratic Party, as his running mate. Villarruel, a veteran's advocate and signer of the Madrid Charter, has been accused of historical revisionism in regards to the Dirty War in the form of Argentine state terrorism denial.[2][3]

Over the election, Milei steadily rose in the polls for his right-wing libertarian and right-wing populist views, as inflation increased above 100%.[4] During the August 2023 PASO primary, Milei emerged as the leading candidate with 29.86% of the vote.[5] Milei then advanced to the first round where he achieved second place on 22 October against Sergio Massa, the Minister of Economy who represented the incumbent Union for the Homeland coalition, with both advancing to a second round on 19 November.[6]

For the runoff, Milei was endorsed by former president Mauricio Macri and third-place candidate Patricia Bullrich, both members of the Juntos por el Cambio coalition.[7][8] Milei remained technically tied in polls with Massa but emerged the victor on 19 November by 10 points in a rejection of the establishment Peronists.[9] His victory was likened to that of Donald Trump in the United States and Jair Bolsonaro's in Brazil.[10][11]

Inauguration

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Main article: Inauguration of Javier Milei

Milei was inaugurated on 10 December 2023. He delivered a speech to the Argentine nation,[12][13] warning of an economic shock, which has been described as shock therapy in economic terms, to be used as a means to fix Argentina's economic woes,[14][15][16] with inflation rising to 200 percent.[17] Following the inauguration, Milei saw his popularity increase in public opinion. After the first governmental and economic reforms taken by the president and his ministers, 53% of the Argentine people had a very good or good image of the new head of state according to a popularity poll made by Aresco on 15 December.[18]

La Libertad Avanza seeks to become an official party in preparation of the midterm 2025 Argentine legislative election.[19]

Cabinet

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See also: Ministries of the Argentine Republic

Milei's cabinet took office on 10 December 2023. After the remaining officials from Alberto Fernández's presidency resigned, Milei began his nominations for those responsible for the existing portfolios. His cabinet mostly included ministers from La Libertad Avanza and Juntos por el Cambio.[20][21][22]

Upon taking office as president, Milei signed various decrees related to his cabinet members and ministries. He successively named Nicolás Posse as Cabinet Chief, Guillermo Francos as Minister of the Interior, Diana Mondino as Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Luis Petri as Minister of Defence, Luis Caputo as Minister of the Economy, Patricia Bullrich as Minister of Security and Mario Russo as Minister of Health. On 10 December, with his 8th decree (the first as president of Argentina), he modified the law and reduced the existing 19 government ministries to nine.[23] President Milei then nominated Mariano Cúneo Libarona as Minister of Justice. As planned in his presidential campaign, he created the ministries of Infrastructure and Human Capital and appointed Guillermo Ferraro and Sandra Pettovello to lead them.[24] In order to name his sister Karina Milei as General Secretariat of the Presidency, he removed the impediment that former president Mauricio Macri signed that would have dictated to designate relatives in the state.[24]

Dissolved ministries (dissolved on 10 December 2023)

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Current ministries

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Portfolio Minister Party Coalition Start End
Cabinet Chief Nicolás Posse Independent LLA 10 December 2023 27 May 2024
Guillermo Francos Independent LLA 27 May 2024 —
Minister of the Interior Guillermo Francos Independent LLA 10 December 2023 27 May 2024 (ministry dissolved)
Minister of Foreign Affairs, International
Trade and Worship 		Diana Mondino Independent LLA 10 December 2023 30 October 2024
Gerardo Werthein Independent LLA 30 October 2024 —
Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation Federico Sturzenegger PRO JxC 5 July 2024 —
Minister of Defence Luis Petri UCR JxC 10 December 2023 —
Minister of Economy Luis Caputo PRO JxC 10 December 2023 —
Minister of Infrastructure Guillermo Ferraro Independent LLA 10 December 2023 (ministry established) 9 February 2024 (ministry dissolved)
Minister of Justice Mariano Cúneo Libarona Independent 10 December 2023 —
Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich PRO JxC 10 December 2023 —
Minister of Health Mario Russo Independent 10 December 2023 27 September 2024[25]
Mario Lugones Independent 30 September 2024[26] —
Minister of Human Capital Sandra Pettovello UCEDE LLA 10 December 2023 (ministry established) —

Presidential secretariats

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Portfolio Secretary Party Coalition Start End
General Secretariat Karina Milei LLA LLA 10 December 2023 —
Legal and Technical Secretariat Javier Herrera Bravo PRO JxC 10 December 2023 —
Communications and Press Secretariat Belén Stettler Independent 10 December 2023 —
Interior Lisandro Catalán Independent 27 May 2024 —

Domestic policy

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Further information: Decree 70/2023

On 21 December 2023, Milei announced a large decree that become known in the media as "Megadecreto", a plan to modify a wide variety of economic regulations regarding the Argentine economy. In a statement saying that he aims to lay "the foundations for the reconstruction of the Argentine economy and restore freedom and autonomy to individuals, removing the State from their shoulders",[27] more than 300 regulations were set aside, including significant rent and labour market regulations.[28] The decree is subject to approval by Congress, which was called for an extraordinary session to be held in the first months of 2024.[29]

The Milei government said it would not renew contracts for the more than 5000 public sector employees who were hired in 2023, while contracts for other government employees hired prior to 2023 will be reviewed. "The 2023 cutoff is apparently meant to target the practice of outgoing presidents padding the payrolls in their final year".[30] Argentina's annual inflation has fallen from 211% in December 2023[31][32] to 193% in October 2024.[33] Monthly inflation has come down from 25% in December 2023 to 8.8% in April 2024, more than expected,[34][35][36] further dropping to 2.7% in October, the lowest it had been in three years.[37][38]

On 10 January 2024, the IMF agreed to restart payouts to the Argentine treasury. Trade unions in Argentina have opposed Milei's policies, and the CGT called for a general strike on 24 January 2024. Milei has aimed to build up the central bank's foreign-exchange reserves by raising import and export taxes.[39]

In an interview published on 31 March 2024, Milei emphasised his continued plans to dollarise the economy, but saying that the plans are delayed to after the 2025 Argentine legislative election.[40]

Foreign policy

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Milei with Italian president Sergio Mattarella
Milei with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the 50th G7 summit on 14 June 2024

On 10 December, economist and economics academic Diana Mondino was formally appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship.[41]

Americas

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Milei's government decided to suspend diplomatic relations with Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. After his inauguration, Milei ordered that Argentina would not send ambassadors to any of those three countries, which Milei has previously labelled as dictatorships.[42] Relations with Venezuela have deteriorated rapidly under the presidency of Milei with the Argentine Embassy in Venezuela twice falling under siege during the Venezuelan post-electoral crisis.

In January 2024, Argentina offered military assistance to Ecuador in its conflict with organised crime. On 13 January, Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa accepted Argentina's (and the US's) military aid.[43]

On 25 January 2024, Colombia summoned its ambassador in Argentina to protest recent comments by Javier Milei, where Milei called Colombian president Gustavo Petro a "murderous communist who is sinking Colombia".[44] The Colombian ambassador labelled Milei as a "hypocrite" and condemned his comments.[45]

Durings his tenure, Milei has had two non-official visits to Spain and one to Chile.[46][47] In these visits where he participated in private events, he took occasion to criticise the prime minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez and the president of Chile Gabriel Boric.[46][47]

China

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During the campaign for the 2023 elections said that he would not make deals with China, because of his rejection to communism and his support to freedom and democracy. However, once in government there were no diplomatic conflicts with China. The renewal of the swaps, the soy trade, the joint building of the Jorge Cepernic and Néstor Kirchner dams, and the negotiations with the IMF led to cordial relations between both countries.[48]

Milei's Foreign Minister, Diana Mondino, confirmed that Argentina rejected its invitation to join the BRICS group of nations, and that the country had instead chosen to sign its membership request to OECD.[49] China did not like this rejection.

Middle East

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Milei and Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on 6 February 2024

On 12 December 2023, Argentina changed its position before the United Nations in regard to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Argentina, which had voted in favor of a ceasefire in the General Assembly Resolution ES-10/21, switched to abstaining in the Resolution ES-10/22. Analysts said the move showed a clearer support for Israel from Milei.[50] On 14 January 2024, on the occasion of the hundredth day of war between Israel and Hamas, Milei expressed solidarity with the government and people of Israel, further adding that Argentina "endorses Israel's right to legitimate defence".[51] On 5 February 2024, he commenced his inaugural state visit to Israel as president. There, Milei met with President of Israel Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, to whom he confirmed that embassy of Argentina's in Israel will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.[52]

In June 2024, Milei received the ILAN Award for Political Innovation, presented by Isaac Assa, president of the Israel Latin American Network (ILAN).[53][54]

Russo-Ukrainian War

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Milei met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Buenos Aires on 10 December 2023. On 16 December, Milei's government announced through the Air Force, that it would donate two Russian-made Mil Mi-17 military helicopters to Ukraine.[55]

European Union

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On 22 June 2024, Milei met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Milei and Scholz voiced support for the European Union–Mercosur free trade agreement.[56] Two days later, Milei visited Czechia and was greeted by Czech president Petr Pavel and prime minister Petr Fiala.[57]

Approval ratings

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Despite relatively high approval ratings during his early tenure, his ratings began to fall sharply in September 2024, with a report from Torcuato di Tella University reporting that a 55.2% of the population has a neutral to negative opinion on the administration.[58][59]

References

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  1. ^ Paladini, Eduardo (11 April 2022). "Javier Milei decidió que será candidato a presidente: qué tiene, cuánto mide y a quiénes quiere sumar" [Javier Milei decided that he will be a candidate for president: what he has, how tall he is and who he wants to join]. Clarín (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  2. ^ Centenera, Mar (24 March 2023). "El negacionismo de la dictadura pone a prueba la solidez de la democracia argentina". El País Argentina (in Spanish). ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  3. ^ Rivas Molina, Federico (15 August 2023). "What's going on inside Javier Milei's head?". El País English. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Javier Milei, an Argentine libertarian, is rising in the polls". The Economist. 4 May 2023. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  5. ^ Viriglio, Veronique (16 August 2023). "Argentina: Milei, un outsider contro il kirchnerismo" [Argentina: Milei, an outsider against Kirchnerism]. AGI (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ^ Cursino, Malu; Watson, Katy (23 October 2023). "Argentina presidential election: Javier Milei and Sergio Massa head for run-off vote". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  7. ^ Politi, Daniel (25 October 2023). "Argentina's third-place presidential candidate Bullrich endorses right-wing populist Milei in runoff". AP News. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  8. ^ Sigal, Lucila (15 November 2023). "Argentina's conservatives gamble for survival on odd couple Milei and Macri". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  9. ^ Tagliabúe, Leonardo (19 November 2023). "Contundente triunfo de Javier Milei: será el próximo presidente de la Argentina" [Strong victory for Javier Milei: he will be the next president of Argentina]. Infobae (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  10. ^ Bayer, Lili; Jones, Sam; Phillips, Tom; Salomón, Josefina (20 November 2023). "Trump and Bolsonaro salute Javier Milei as far right rejoice around the world". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  11. ^ Carmo, Marcia; Corrêa, Alessandra (21 November 2023). "Milei presidente: En qué se parece el político argentino a Trump y Bolsonaro" [President Milei: How the Argentine politician is similar to Trump and Bolsonaro]. BBC Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  12. ^ González Monte, Lucas (2 December 2023). "Traspaso: Milei jurará ante la Asamblea Legislativa el domingo 10 y dará luego 'un mensaje al pueblo argentino'" [Transfer: Milei will be sworn in before the Legislative Assembly on Sunday the 10th and will then give "a message to the Argentine people"]. La Capital (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Cuándo habla Javier Milei en la asunción como presidente de la Argentina" [When does Javier Milei speak at the inauguration as president of Argentina]. La Nación (in Spanish). 10 December 2023. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  14. ^ Marcarian, Agustin (10 December 2023). "Argentine President Milei warns economic shock unavoidable in maiden speech". CNBC. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  15. ^ Biller, David; Eey, Débora (10 December 2023). "In inaugural speech, Argentina's Javier Milei prepares nation for painful shock adjustment". AP News. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  16. ^ Biller, David; Eey, Débora (10 December 2023). "In inaugural speech, Argentina's Javier Milei prepares nation for painful shock adjustment". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  17. ^ Grimberg, Candelaria; Misculin, Nicolás (10 December 2023). "Argentine President Milei warns economic shock unavoidable in maiden speech". Reuters. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  18. ^ Chaves, Facundo (16 December 2023). "Una encuesta midió la primera semana de Javier Milei y cómo impactó en la sociedad el anuncio del ajuste" [A survey measured Javier Milei's first week and how the announcement of the adjustment impacted society]. Infobae (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  19. ^ Jaureguy, Martina (13 April 2024). "La Libertad Avanza seeks to become an official party, gain national foothold". Buenos Aires Herald. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  20. ^ Carpena, Ricardo (10 December 2023). "Peleas y reacomodamientos: comienza el gobierno que transformará para siempre al PRO y a Juntos por el Cambio" [Fights and rearrangements: the government that will forever transform the PRO and Together for Change begins]. Infobae (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  21. ^ Moreno, Matías (10 December 2023). "Juntos por el Cambio, en trance de descomposición y con rol ambiguo en el inicio del ciclo de Milei" [Together for Change, in a state of decomposition and with an ambiguous role in the beginning of the Milei cycle]. La Nación (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  22. ^ Moreno, Matías (10 December 2023). "Con matices, Juntos por el Cambio mostró una actitud colaborativa tras el duro diagnóstico de Milei" [With nuances, Together for Change showed a collaborative attitude after Milei's harsh diagnosis]. La Nación (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Boletín Oficial República Argentina – LEY DE MINISTERIOS – Decreto 8/2023". BoletinOficial.gob.ar (in Spanish). 10 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Nicolás Posse, el hombre clave para el futuro de las empresas públicas de acuerdo al diseño del nuevo gabinete" [Nicolás Posse, the key man for the future of public companies according to the design of the new cabinet]. La Nación (in Spanish). 11 December 2023. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Renunció el ministro de Salud, Mario Russo: el Gobierno anunció que asumirá en su lugar Mario Lugones". infobae (in European Spanish). 27 September 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  26. ^ "Mario Lugones fue oficializado como nuevo ministro de Salud tras la salida de Mario Russo". 0221 (in Spanish). 30 September 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  27. ^ "Argentina: Javier Milei announces deregulation of economy". Deutsche Welle. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023 – via msn.com.
  28. ^ "Argentina's Milei Orders Huge Deregulation Of Economy". Barrons. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  29. ^ "Argentina's Milei orders major deregulation of economy". The Hindu. 22 December 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Argentina's new president lays off 5,000 government employees hired in 2023, before he took office". AP News. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  31. ^ https://www.france24.com/es/am%C3%A9rica-latina/20240111-la-inflaci%C3%B3n-interanual-de-argentina-lleg%C3%B3-al-211-4-en-diciembre-superando-a-la-de-venezuela
  32. ^ "Argentina's annual inflation soars to 211.4%, the highest in 32 years". AP News. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  33. ^ https://www.reuters.com/markets/argentinas-inflation-rate-cools-consumers-still-feel-squeezed-2024-11-12/
  34. ^ "Argentina reports its first single-digit inflation in 6 months as markets swoon and costs hit home". AP News. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  35. ^ "Argentina | Inflation was 11% in March and decelerated more than expected once again. | BBVA Research". www.bbvaresearch.com. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  36. ^ Gillespie, Patrick (14 May 2024). "La inflación mensual de Argentina se enfría por cuarto mes consecutivo en abril". Bloomberg. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  37. ^ "Argentina's monthly inflation drops to 2.7%, the lowest level in 3 years". AP News. 12 November 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  38. ^ "Argentina Inflation Slowed More Than Expected to 2.7% in October". Bloomberg.com. 12 November 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  39. ^ "The fightback against Javier Milei's radical reforms has begun". The Economist. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  40. ^ Tobias, Manuela (1 April 2024). "Milei Doesn't See Argentina Dollarizing Before Midterm Vote". Bloomberg. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  41. ^ "Boletín Oficial República Argentina – MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES, COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL Y CULTO – Decreto 3/2023". BoletinOficial.gob.ar (in Spanish). 10 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  42. ^ Lejtman, Román (19 December 2023). "Giro diplomático: Milei no designará embajadores ante las dictaduras de Cuba, Nicaragua y Venezuela" [Diplomatic turn: Milei will not designate ambassadors before the dictatorships of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  43. ^ "El Presidente de Ecuador aceptó la ayuda de Argentina y Estados Unidos para combatir la violencia narco" [The President of Ecuador accepted the aid of Argentina and the United States to combat gang violence]. El Comercial (in Spanish). 13 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  44. ^ "Milei tildó de "comunista asesino" a Petro y Colombia llamó a consultas a su embajador" [Milei labelled Petro as a "murderous communist" and Colombia summoned its ambassador] (in Spanish). Télam. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  45. ^ "Colombia llamó a consultas a su embajador por los dichos de Milei: tildó a Petro de "comunista asesino"" [Colombia summoned its ambassador over the comments of Milei: labelled Petro as a "murderous communist"]. Ámbito Financiero (in Spanish). 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  46. ^ a b [1]
  47. ^ a b [2]
  48. ^ Jaime Rosemberg (30 September 2024). "Las razones del giro de Milei con China: el swap, la soja y el viaje de su hermana Karina" [The reasons of Milei's turn towards China: swap, soy and the trip of his sister Karina] (in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  49. ^ "Diana Mondino anticipó que Argentina firmará el ingreso a la OCDE" [Diana Mondino anticipated that Argentina will sign the entry to OECD]. Infobae (in Spanish). 10 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  50. ^ Niebieskikwiat, Natasha (12 December 2023). "Primer gesto contundente del gobierno de Milei a favor de su alianza con Israel" [First strong sign from Milei's government in support of his alliance with Israel]. Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  51. ^ "El mensaje de Milei a los 100 días de la guerra de Gaza: "Avalamos el derecho de Israel a la legítima defensa"" [Milei's message after 100 days of war in Gaza: "We endorse the right of Israel to legitimate defense"]. Todo Noticias (in Spanish). 14 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  52. ^ Berman, Lazar (6 February 2024). "In first bilateral visit, Argentina's Milei says he will move embassy to Jerusalem". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  53. ^ "Argentinian President Javier Milei receives ILAN's first Innovation in Politics Award". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  54. ^ "Words from the President of the Nation, Javier Milei, after receiving the Political Innovation Award, presented by the Ilan Foundation". Casa Rosada (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  55. ^ "Tras la visita de Zelenski, el Gobierno donará dos helicópteros a Ucrania" [After Zelenskyy's visit, the Government will donate two helicopters to Ukraine]. Mendoza Online (in Spanish). 16 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  56. ^ "Scholz, Milei Demand Swift Deal on EU-Mercosur Free Trade Pact". Bloomberg. 23 June 2023.
  57. ^ "Awkwardness surrounds Milei's presence in Prague". mercopress.com. 25 June 2024.
  58. ^ Jourdan, Adam (24 September 2024). "Argentina's Milei sees gravity-defying poll numbers start to fall". Reuters.
  59. ^ "Índice de Confianza en el Gobierno" (PDF). Torcuato di Tella University. September 2024.
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