BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Politicians talk about tightening their belts or cutting unnecessary spending with scissors. Argentinian presidential candidate Javier Milei is in a position to attack the formula with a chainsaw.
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The self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist uses a tool of force on certain occasions as a projection of defiance and force towards discontented Argentines. They see themselves on Milei’s crusade to destroy the bloated state and what he calls “the political caste. “Most polls show him winning the presidential election on Sunday and running in the runoff next month.
“The caste is trembling!” He shouted as he brandished a chainsaw spitting diesel fumes on a busy street last month. In the impoverished northwestern province of Salta last week, his caravan was greeted by an organization of staff waving their own chainsaws in the air.
Argentina’s economy has been mired in crisis for years, but in recent years others feel they are being pushed to the brink: inflation has soared to triple digits, poverty has skyrocketed, and a depreciating currency is decimating the purchasing power of wages. The electorate has lost hope that well-established officials can fix the problem.
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The chainsaw is “a very particular representation of what everyone feels, which is that the government is overflowing with other people who, by and large, don’t serve any function,” said Mariel Fornoni of policy consultancy Management.
Milei unveiled what he called his chainsaw plan in the central province of Cordoba in June 2022. It is his plan for a comprehensive reform of the state aimed at cutting public spending, cutting part of the government ministries, promoting state-owned enterprises and getting rid of the central bank.
In a televised interview in March, Milei explained that his chainsaw plan was aimed at “tightening the spending reins of corrupt politicians. “He pointed to his tougher electoral competition as the embodiment of a parasitic status quo that has long been considered innocent and blameless. Most polls put Economy Minister Sergio Massa in second place, followed by former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich of the main opposition coalition.
After Milei scored a stunning victory in August’s number one ballot against those two veteran politicians, he started bringing a chainsaw to his rallies. His fans ate it and began to imitate him.
At his last rally at a Buenos Aires stadium on Wednesday, many of his die-hard supporters carried chainsaws made of cardboard. Martín Argañaraz, a 47-year-old craftsman, one of them; He said he is dismayed to see politicians “put in motorcycle lanes or an undersecretary of an undersecretariat, and those are all fearful expenses. “
Dolls depicting a Japanese manga character, a dog-like demon named Pochita, have also begun to appear at gatherings. The orange creature looks cute and cute, thanks to the chainsaw blade sticking out of its face.
The chainsaw wasn’t the first in Milei’s rhetorical arsenal. One of his shorts from the 2020 crusade culminates with a close-up of him smiling mischievously in a black leather jacket before grabbing a medieval-style warhammer to ruin a central bank style. A crowd of supporters dressed in black shirts and shaking their fists gathered around him, shouting “Destruction!Destruction! Destruction!” Then he pounced on the remains and tore them to pieces.
“Here we have a demagogue who uses props to make his fantasies about a state without a state, a state without institutions come true. And from the point of view of democracy, which promises violence against the institutions of the state and perhaps against the judiciary of the state, it is the norm against the people who don’t like it,” said Federico Finchelstein, an Argentine historian at the New School for Social Research in New York.
Most have perceived Milei’s anger as mere comedy and a ploy to circumvent the classic procedure of launching a candidacy, although some find it more puzzling.
Milei’s chainsaw is peaceful, said Sebastian Borrego, a 51-year-old man who came from a small town south of Buenos Aires to attend his rally Wednesday. He sees it as a tool, like the ones he uses in his own garden.
“Pruning is part of what it means to bring transformation to the country. . . cutting the portions that are useful,” Borrego said.
Finchelstein believes that most Milei supporters will view the chainsaw metaphorically, but that may not be the case for a fraction of them. When asked about the possibility of using rhetoric accused of inciting violence, Milei’s crusader said the chainsaw was just a symbol.
Wednesday’s demonstration began with a video showing him campaigning across the country, followed by a two-minute clip of huge bombs exploding and buildings collapsing. Hundreds of supporters held up their phones to capture photographs of the elimination on the big screen.
“I think we deserve to take those things very seriously,” Finchelstein said, referring to the e-book “From Fascism to Populism in History. “”That’s what he needs to tell the world: It’s not just for laughs to use symbols of violence. “to show what they’re going to do.
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