"I'm warning you that it's not over yet," said Argentine President Javier Milei on December 21, as protests mounted against his first austerity measures, following his inauguration on December 10. He wasted no time honoring his promise, sending Congress a voluminous set of laws on December 27. This extensive document, containing 183 pages and 664 articles is set to be reviewed by Parliament, which is normally in the middle of a summer recess in the southern hemisphere. Extraordinary sessions have been convened to consider the legislation until January 31, 2024.

The thick document is entitled "Basic Law and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines," and includes a series of reforms. It proposes a "public emergency" in various areas (economy, taxes, finance, pensions, energy, security, etc.), enabling the government to assume prerogatives normally reserved for parliament until the end of Milei's term of office. The text also opens the door to the privatization of public companies, simplifies the electoral calendar, restricts the right to protest and broadens the definition of self-defense, among other measures.

The precise date of the vote was not specified, but the president of the Chamber of MPs, Martin Menem ("La Libertad Avanza," Milei's coalition), told the Infobae news website: "Everyone must understand that not only does Argentina have no money [Javier Milei's mantra since he came to power], but it has no time [to waste] either."

The presentation of the text comes against a backdrop of social protests. The document was presented as a trade union demonstration against Milei's free-market shockwave that was dissipating in Buenos Aires. According to the General Confederation of Labor (a national trade union federation in Argentina) between 25,000 and 30,000 people marched in the capital, at a time when the government is implementing a tougher security policy. The Ministry of Security aims to prevent demonstrators from disrupting traffic and to make them bear the cost of maintaining order. On December 22, the government announced that it would be presenting a bill of 60 million pesos (€67,000 at the official rate) to the organizers of the first anti-government rally, held on December 20.

Less than three weeks after taking office, the libertarian Milei is firing on all cylinders. Without waiting for the presentation of his bill, he unveiled a "mega-decree" on Wednesday, December 20. The text, which is equally dense, repeals or amends over 300 standards. In terms of its scope and the number of sectors of the economy and society affected, this is an unprecedented initiative. The "decree of necessity and urgency," in the words of Argentine law, moves rapidly towards massive economic deregulation.

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