Argentina's “chainsaw” president: Javier Milei wants to run again

dpa | Argentina's ultra-liberal head of state Javier Milei wants to run for a second term in next year's presidential election. “For everyone who doubts that I will run for re-election: Yes, I will run for re-election,” Milei said at the opening of an exhibition in a historical museum behind the government headquarters in the capital Buenos Aires.

Milei has been president of South America's second-largest economy for almost three years and is a close ally of US President Donald Trump. He won the decisive runoff election in 2023 with the promise of a radical “chainsaw policy”. A chainsaw held up in the media for media attention became his symbol for a leaner state apparatus and a deregulated economy.

The once enormous inflation fell significantly during his term in office after a series of reforms and the economy grew by 4.4 percent in 2025. However, there is a lot of criticism of the social hardships associated with Milei's radical market policies. Numerous civil service positions were eliminated, subsidies were cut and social programs were dismantled. According to official statistics, a third of Argentina's 46 million inhabitants are considered poor, many of whom are dependent on government support.

Despite all the criticism, Milei sees himself in a brilliant starting position for the next presidential election in October 2027. “In the hundred years before we took office, Argentina had become more and more isolated and we became poorer and poorer,” said the 56-year-old economist. Now the Argentine economy is growing again. Milei has adopted Trump's motto “Make America Great Again” in his own way, as he once again made clear: “We have a lot to do to make Argentina great again.”