Malvinas: Peronists accuse Milei of using the islands to distract from economic problems

Opposition lawmakers in Argentina’s lower house are choosing not to enter the government’s Malvinas debate yet. Instead, they are concentrating on a special session this Wednesday, where they will seek a quorum to advance bills on household debt and delinquency, along with an extension of the disability emergency.

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What is clear is the intention to shift the focus. Until now, Milei spoke only about the economy.

For Peronists and other critics of Javier Milei’s libertarian administration, the president’s sudden renewed focus on sovereignty over the islands is a political maneuver. They say it diverts attention from economic difficulties and moves the center of the agenda away from the issues Milei had previously emphasized.

Unión por la Patria has not yet met to unify its position while waiting for the executive branch to send its initiatives to Congress. Initial reactions combined criticism of Milei’s decisions, which lawmakers said ran counter to his national broadcast announcements, with support for some measures. The bloc has not ruled out voting in favor, although it has reservations about provisions such as creating a national security council with special powers that could be used against alleged internal “threats”.

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We will not hand the cause over to him. We say welcome to Milei, and everything he sends to Congress will still be too little after what he did to demalvinize the country.

One lawmaker said the opposition first needed to see what the government actually submitted, but added: “What is clear is the intention to shift the focus. Until now, Milei spoke only about the economy.” Another legislator said Peronists could support the Malvinas cause without handing it over to the president, arguing that his government had done too much to “demalvinize” the country.

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After three years of persistent demalvinization, Milei announces measures that come late, after easing rules and making concessions that facilitated the United Kingdom’s advance over our interests.

Former Foreign Ministers Jorge Taiana and Santiago Cafiero, former Defense Minister Agustín Rossi, former Vatican ambassador Eduardo Valdés and Malvinas veteran Aldo Leiva are among those expected to feature in the debate. Taiana accused Milei of announcing measures too late, after easing rules and making concessions that, in his view, facilitated the United Kingdom’s advance over Argentine interests. Rossi said Milei’s words had changed, but Milei himself had not. Peronist lawmakers believe the announcements will not derail Wednesday’s effort to force committee consideration of the debt and disability bills.

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One thing is what Milei said. Another is Milei, who has not changed and remains the same person who gives away the country in other areas as important as Malvinas.