The Americas | No pain, no gain

Javier Milei has turned Argentina into a libertarian laboratory

But the biggest economic test is yet to come

A homeless man sleeping, behind is a picture of a Milei.
Photograph: Alamy
|BUENOS AIRES

Javier Milei, Argentina’s president, has enjoyed the best week of his term. At dawn on June 13th the Senate passed two bills aiming to boost growth and raise revenue, giving Mr Milei his first legislative victory since he came to power in December. Hours later he travelled to the G7 in Italy, where he giggled with Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, embraced Pope Francis and palled around with Kristalina Georgieva, the head of the IMF. “I always love our meetings,” he gushed to Ms Georgieva. Yet the relationship between Mr Milei and the fund, which has a $44bn lending programme with Argentina, may soon become less chummy. Uncertainty about the president’s plans for the central bank is worrying investors and the IMF alike.

Explore more

This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “A long way to go”

Dawn of the solar age

From the June 22nd 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from The Americas

The mad, bad Maduro regime clings to power

Behind-the-scenes negotiations seek to ease him out of office

After protests over a stolen election, the goons crack heads

Yet the brazenness of Nicolás Maduro’s theft crosses a line


The plight of Brazil’s indigenous groups worsens

Blame illegal miners, ranchers, loggers, traffickers and an unsympathetic Congress


Will El Mayo’s arrest slow the spread of fentanyl?

The United States nets a very big fish

The strong dollar is hurting exports from Latin America

For three small dollarised economies it has exposed a lack of competitiveness