The recently elected president of Argentina, Javier Milei, has garnered attention from the cryptocurrency world, even though his controversial political platform has raised some eyebrows.
According to Decrypt, Milei, who won the election yesterday, proposed unconventional policies during his campaign. These included legalizing the sale of human children via a free market, lowering the age of consent, and mandating forced labor in Argentine prisons. His controversial statements, reportedly made under the influence of his deceased pet’s telepathic advice, also attempted to rehabilitate Argentina’s former pro-Nazi dictatorship.
Despite his controversial stance, Milei has received congratulations from several cryptocurrency heavyweights, including Balaji Srinivasan, former CTO of Coinbase, and Michael Saylor, co-founder of MicroStrategy, who focused on Milei’s previous pro-Bitcoin statements.
Many industry leaders have taken note of Milei’s repeated commitments to dismantle Argentina’s central bank, along with his endorsement of Bitcoin as “the return of money to its original creator.” This has generated hope that Milei might implement Bitcoin-friendly policies or even push for the adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender, as El Salvador did in 2021.
However, it’s worth noting that Milei did not propose any crypto-related policies during his presidential campaign nor has he mentioned crypto since his election win. His campaign rhetoric championed “anarcho-capitalism,” which calls for the abolition of state governments and institutions in favor of private capital. This ideology appears to have resonated with many crypto leaders, leading them to overlook or embrace his other views.
Nevertheless, there are indications that Milei’s leadership may not bring about the libertarian utopia that some crypto enthusiasts envision. He has pledged to establish a nationwide camera surveillance network using facial recognition technology to track Argentine citizens, a move that contradicts the crypto community’s long-standing opposition to mass government surveillance.