Six out of ten Argentinians believe that Milei’s stance on the Malvinas is “for political convenience”

The strong defense of Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas made by Javier Milei last Thursday — “the Malvinas Islands are Argentine by history and by right, there is no discussion about it” — was heard from north to south of the vast South American country. Nine out of ten Argentines know that the president spoke on the national broadcast about the South Atlantic islands that Argentina has claimed from Great Britain since it occupied them in 1833. His stance has majority support, but most also believe that Milei raises this flag now “for political convenience,” according to a survey released by Management & Fit.

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There is just over a year left until the 2027 presidential elections, and economic policy, the area where Milei feels most comfortable, today generates more rejection than support among Argentines. The president repeats in every speech his economic achievements — such as the drop in inflation, the fiscal surplus, and economic growth — but these are not enough to counteract the loss of purchasing power of wages for much of the population, the growing fear of unemployment, and the debts that weigh down many households.

By announcing that he will speed up sanctions against oil companies operating in the Malvinas without Argentine authorization, Milei has suddenly changed the media agenda. At the same time, he has also managed to garner applause from a society where few causes touch such a sensitive nerve: just look at how the flag “The Malvinas are Argentine” that Giovani Lo Celso raised after winning 2-1 against England in the World Cup semifinal has been replicated endlessly in murals, banners, shirts, posters, and mugs.

After weeks of open war against journalism — with insults like “lying human shits,” “assholes,” “idiots,” “filthy trash” — the President’s Office released the result of a survey conducted by the newspaper Clarín on its social networks that claimed that 81.3% of respondents supported Milei’s measures on the islands.

The Management & Fit survey is more nuanced and shows a divided perception of the speech. For 44.6% of those interviewed, Milei announced concrete measures; for another 44.2%, on the other hand, he limited himself to making general statements. Similarly, the division of Argentine society also emerges when asked if Milei’s call for unity to address the sovereignty dispute gave them confidence: 41% say yes, 56% say no.

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The recorded message from Milei along with his entire Cabinet marked a 180-degree turn from his previous statements about the Malvinas. The president, who has declared himself an admirer of Margaret Thatcher several times, the British prime minister during the war with Argentina in 1982, had hinted that the Kelpers had the right to self-determination, a possibility he now rejects. The turn was so abrupt that few believed him. According to the survey, conducted on a thousand cases with a 3% margin of error, 61.1% believe he did it for political convenience and only 24.7% out of conviction.

Despite those numbers, the Government is hopeful about the change of script. Without losing sight of the preparations for the electoral race, the ruling party is preparing the draft of the National Sovereignty Defense Law to send to Congress and the foundations of the National Security Council announced by Milei. They know it will be very difficult for the opposition to reject regulations that strengthen the defense of national interests.

One of the government’s big challenges this week is to defuse the session the Peronists are preparing in the Chamber of Deputies for Wednesday. If they have enough legislators to start the debate, they will put on the table measures that guarantee the continuity of treatments for people with disabilities and that relieve indebted families. If they succeed, one of the weakest points of Milei’s economic policy will regain the prominence that the Malvinas issue has pushed into the background.

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