President Javier Milei renewed his call for a new ‘Pacto de Mayo’ on Thursday as he headed a Flag Day rally in Rosario marking the national holiday.
Back in March, Milei, 53, called on leaders from across the political spectrum to sign up to his ‘Pacto de 25 de Mayo’ – an accord outlining economic ground rules that he intended to present at an event in Córdoba on the national holiday marking the 1810 revolution.
The pact was never finalised, with it being contingent on congressional approval for Milei’s sweeping reform plan. With the President’s ‘Ley de Bases’ reform bill now closer than ever to being approved, Milei on Thursday called for its signing on July 9 in Tucumán.
In a speech broadcast across national television channels, the libertarian leader – who regularly and fiercely criticises his political opponents – asked the nation’s leaders to set aside party difference and work to turn Argentina into a world power.
Milei was joined at the rally by most of his Cabinet, Santa Fe Province Governor Maximiliano Pullaro and Rosario City Mayor Pablo Javkin.
“I’d like to take this opportunity, with the Argentine flag waving in the sky, the approval of the ‘Ley de Bases’ and fiscal package now progressing, to call on all national authorities, governors, former presidents, members of the Supreme Court, businesspeople and workers to meet on July 9 in the evening in Tucumán to sign the May Pact,” Milei highlighted.
Closely watched by a crowd of around 100 people from Rosario and practically his entire Cabinet – save Economy minister Luis Caputo and a few others – the head of State declared: “I want to invite you to repeat this commitment gesture which is to swear on the flag. I dream of a world where the flag waves high in the sky proud among the most prosperous nations.”
“Let us write a new chapter in the history of Argentine progress. In order to achieve that dream, it is essential for all of us who share the cause of freedom to put down party blinkers, detach ourselves from our particular interests and work together,” said the President.
The La Libertad Avanza leader was due to return to Buenos Aires later Thursday evening ahead of departing on a new international tour of Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic.
In his speech, he singled out the figure of national hero Manuel Belgrano, whom he defined as “a maximalist of freedom” and “an example of austerity and honesty in public office,” and after a brief historical account he drew a few parallels with present time.
Visibly emotional, he went on: “Freedom does not ask for permission, it imposes itself. It does not wait for the orders of any bureaucrat speculating about what is suitable and what isn’t. Freedom is an innate instinct of being Argentine because it is unavoidable whether or not a few resist or want to contain it.”
Pullaro proved to be in tune with libertarian fiscal adjustment prescriptions and, after thanking national officials for travelling to Rosario, he called for a boost in funding to tackle drug violence and Rosario’s other challenges.
“Mister President, look at this country and its productive hinterland, we lack infrastructure works to develop and be able to deploy the entire potential of our country”, he asked while Milei listened and focused on his baton.
He was immediately whistled at by some of the attendants, while a small sector applauded his words.
Without giving way for reactions, the Radical leader continued: “Of course we need a fiscal balance, from the provinces we accompany the effort of the national government, but we also need economic development, growth and to unify our education system with the production system. We need federalism.”
“Santa Fe is the countryside, industry, trade, the river, our port, but also universities. It’s the know-how the country needs to change and get ahead,” he concluded.
– TIMES/NA
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