The IMF and the elimination of abortion: Milei’s controversies after winning the primaries in Argentina

The candidate assured that in the next few days he will meet with officials of the financial organization.

The far-right presidential candidate in Argentina, Javier Milei, warned that, if he wins the elections, he will call a plebiscite so that citizens decide whether or not they want the legalization of abortion that was approved in the country to continue in force or not. four years.

“I am against abortion, because it is against the right to life,” said the candidate, claiming conservative positions that he had already expressed, but that now carry more weight because he won the primary elections that were held last Sunday.

“If the Argentines believe in the murder of a defenseless human in the womb of the mother, it will be seen“, he challenged when announcing that, if the citizen majority voted against the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Law through a popular consultation, he would immediately promote its repeal.

In her usual violent tone, Milei also rejected the fact that abortion is an earned right, as claimed by the feminist movements that fought for decades to have the law approved.

“These are people brainwashed into murderous politics. How can it be an earned right to kill a human being? When one builds on an incorrect moral principle, the result is filthy,” he charged.

The statements sparked an immediate reaction on social media.

“Milei proposes to do whatever you want with your body, including selling organs, but she doesn’t allow abortion because everyone can decide what to do with their body except women“, wrote a user. “I can’t believe Milei wants to put the abortion issue back on the table with such an economic and social crisis,” added other.

Meanwhile, one more user wrote: “Milei comes to privatize everything, remove legal abortion and the Ministry of Women, now they will really know what the right is”.

Patricia Bullrich, the presidential candidate of the conservative coalition Together for Change, joined the debate, but only to differentiate herself from Milei, since she warned that this Tuesday that the priority issue is the economy.

“I am not going to make the mistake of discussing abortion in the midst of the crisis“, said noting that, in addition, the resumption of this debate, which already took place in 2018 and 2020, could divide the country.

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On the other hand, Milei also revealed that, after his victory in the elections on Sunday, officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) searched for him.

“They called me from the IMF and they contacted my sister to have a meeting, we are seeing how to deal with it,” he said in reference to Karina Milei, who is his sister and most important adviser.

The statement caused an uproar as the agency did not officially confirm the alleged call. In addition, users of social networks considered that it would be “irresponsible” for IMF officials to go after a politician who has not yet won an election.

The candidate affirmed that he has no criticism of an organization that has a bad image in Argentina, due to the decisive role it played during the social outbreak of 2001 and the way in which it conditioned the economy again, after it was approved in 2018 a historic loan to the Government of former President Mauricio Macri.

“The Fund is not a problem, because what is the key to all the Fund’s programs? Lower the deficit. And why does it always fail? Because it is not fulfilled. We have a much more aggressive, harsher fiscal program, we would be overachieved in the goal,” he said, since his electoral platform is based on a drastic adjustment in public spending that includes the elimination of half of the ministries and the disappearance of social programs.