The Struggle Won in Argentina, Milei is Heavily Injured

The extremely oppressive and anti-worker Omnibus Bill Proposal of far-right president Javier Milei in Argentina has been voted in Congress. The proposal was retracted after the organization of a general strike and mass demonstrations lasting for four days. This is a great victory for the working class and the grass roots street movement who had been protesting for days. The workers, neighborhood commitees, the unemployed movement and artists spearheaded these protests. The retired, humans’ rights organizations and environmental movements also played important roles in the streets. In addition, the 4 representatives of the Workers’ Left Front (FIT-U) carried out an effective struggle against the omnibus bill of Milei. The attempted police terror on the streets, tried by the Milei’s far-right internal affairs minister Patricia Bullrich (a former Monteneros guerilla), was among the defeated. We should point out that the police pressure is on a level never seen before in contemporary Argentina.

Milei, who has been in office for two months but is still yet to accomplish anything he wanted because of the protests by the popular protests, declared everyone a traitor with this last defeat he suffered, his unabashed hate for the left reaching extreme levels. Eduardo Belliboni who is the leader of the Piquetero Movement led by our comrades Partido Obrero, is constantly on the target board of Milei. Belliboni was specifically targeted during the protests and was hospitalized due to being pepper sprayed in the face in close proximity. And now, Milei is spewing his hatred, fuelled by the frustration of his latest defeat, naming Belliboni specifically

At this point in time, the popular opposition’s self-confidence is quite high. FIT-U has demonstrated it’s power by playing a very active role in the field of struggle. However, the fight has just begun and FIT-U has a lot to do. In an environment where Milei has a certain amount of support and unifying right, the labor front will try to gain more power by the means of protests and strikes.

The retraction of the proposal also demonstrates the antagonisms between the various sectors of the capitalist class. Although the ruling class is on the same page when it comes to making the working class pay for the growing economic and societal crisis, thing take a different turn when it comes to giving Milei absolute authority on all the other governmental institutions. Ultimately, the Bonapartism attempt by Milei failed with the disaster in Congress. There is also differences of interest between the various burgeois parties on the questions of how the national budget will be divided and which sectors will benefit from the governmental policies. The workers’ movement has benefited from these cracks between the ruling class made apperant in the Congress.

This defeat means a significant crisis for Milei and the government that came to power just less than 2 months ago. Milei couldn’t attain the authority he wanted and it will be quite challenging for him to continue on with so few representatives in the parliament. In the country where the economic crisis grows, Milei’s support base will start to shrink and his political capital will start to wither.

Milei faced this defeat right when he was on a trip in Israel and, thus, his ambitions to hone his right wing reputation across borders turned into a laughing stock. Milei, in tandem with his far-right politics, supports Israel and promises to move the Argentinian embassy to Jerusalem.
 

While the retraction of the proposal is a victory for the working class; the struggle against the reactionary regime, capitalism and imperialist plunder persists. Furthermore, the government may bring some parts of the reactionary bill proposal back to the table. In this sense, the victory gained on Tuesday against the reactionary Milei regime is only the first step in the struggle.

With this, the defeat of the proposal stands to be an example of how the working class can fight against the right and win through unions, universities, neighborhood assamblies  and the congress. By utilizing the power of its self-organized struggle and rejecting to reconcile, the mass movement won in Argentina. The mass movement should continue to organize from grass roots rejecting to trust the union breucrats who are trying to take the mobilizations under control, and the “lesser evil” politicians in order to continue their fight against the right and protects the right of the workers and the oppressed.