Milei polling well, six months after taking office, despite Congress struggles
President Javier Milei retains strong support among Argentines six months after taking office, according to a new poll.
Six months after taking office and despite his difficulties in struggling to pass legislation, President Javier Milei retains strong support among the population, a new poll has shown.
According to a survey conducted by the Opina Argentina consultancy firm, carried out between June 3 and 5, Milei’s image remains stable. Compared to the previous month, the President’s positive image has only dropped by one point (52 percent) and his negative image rose by one (48 percent).
The survey highlighted a stabilisation of support for the government, calculated at around 46 percent. Support for the opposition stood at 40 percent, with 14 percent not backing either of the two main categories.
Like President Milei, many leading government figures also ranked highly: Vice-President Victoria Villarruel scored 53 percent positive and 45 percent negative and Security Minister Patricia Bullrich was close behind, scoring 52 percent to 47 percent. Economy Minister Luis ‘Toto’ Caputo scored more poorly, with 42 percent positive and 55 percent negative.
The positive poll results for Milei’s government comes despite the struggles of La Libertad Avanza in Congress. The ruling party, firmly in the minority in both houses, has only 38 deputies and seven senators, forcing it to negotiate with potential allies to pass bills and rubber-stamp measures.
To date, President Milei has failed to get a single bill through Congress, while his sweeping emergency decree (70/2023) has also run into trouble.
New Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos, promoted last week after the ousting of ex-official Nicolás Posse, is working to forge a path for the head of state’s flagship ‘Ley de Bases’/’Omnibus’ reform bill and accompanying fiscal package.
The sweeping reform plan, which has been downsized during talks with caucuses that are open to dialogue, has been approved in general by the lower house and is now awaiting a vote in the Senate. That is expected to take place later this week, beginning Wednesday.
In the meantime, Milei’s emergency decree – which would amend, replace and repeal more than 100 pieces of legislation – remains stalled. It needs to be rejected by both houses, but so far has only been processed in one.
– TIMES/PERFIL