During the election campaign he appeared with a chainsaw. At the start of his visit to Germany, Argentina’s president appears rather tame. On Sunday he will meet the German Chancellor.
Argentina’s ultra-liberal President Javier Milei was honored with a medal from the Friedrich August von Hayek Society in Hamburg.
Milei, who is known for his spontaneous and polemical statements, refrained from making any reference to Germany in his speech and primarily described his understanding of politics. The approximately 200 listeners – including the former head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maaßen, and the AfD member of the Bundestag, Beatrix von Storch – cheered Milei. They repeatedly chanted “Libertad” (freedom).
On Sunday, the Argentine president, who describes himself as an “anarcho-capitalist”, will be received by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the Berlin Chancellery.
“No to Milei in Hamburg”
Several hundred people demonstrated in front of the venue under the slogan “No to Milei in Hamburg”. Critics accuse the Hayek Society of not clearly distancing itself from right-wing populist movements. For example, in 2023 the association awarded its network prize to the Swiss web radio station Kontrafunk and in 2022 to the blog “Achse des Guten” – both media are located in the spectrum of the political right.
With the award, the economists’ association honored the program of the ultra-liberal politician, who wants to reform Argentina in the spirit of Hayek, the Austrian pioneer of neoliberalism. “You are bringing capitalism out of the defensive,” said the chairman of the association, Stefan Kooths, in his laudation. He compared Milei’s policy to chemotherapy. “The side effects are severe,” said the Kiel economist. But without such a therapy, Argentina would be finished.
In his speech, Milei described his intellectual development as a follower of the so-called Austrian School, which includes Hayek (1899-1992) and Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973). He explained his rise to successful politics by his courage in being the only person to represent liberal economic ideas in the media and television talk shows. Milei was elected in the second round of voting in November last year with more than 55 percent of the vote.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
