Milei Dismisses 'Month-End' Hardship Claims as Survey Finds 65% Run Out of Money Before the 20th
BUENOS AIRES — Argentine President Javier Milei said at the Argentina Oil & Gas Expo in Neuquén on October 20 that claims many Argentines do not reach the end of the month are a political fabrication, the Buenos Aires Times reported. Milei asked rhetorically how anyone could "live 10 days without eating or drinking."
A survey by pollster Zentrix, published days before the speech, found that 65.3 percent of respondents run out of income before the 20th of the month and that 56.2 percent had taken some form of formal debt in the past six months. Zentrix defended its findings.
Opposition legislators, unions and social organisations criticised Milei's comments, pointing to survival strategies such as borrowing, multiple jobs and community aid, and filed or prepared requests for information in Congress. The Chamber of Deputies scheduled a special session to consider measures on family delinquency and consumer debt.
The government defended its economic plan by pointing to a recent deceleration in inflation and fiscal ordering. Milei also pointed to growth in energy exports from Vaca Muerta while rejecting calls for a peso devaluation. Analysts warned that growing household reliance on credit to pay for food, health and utilities risks deeper financial strain.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 布宜诺斯艾利斯玫瑰宫（总统府）。图片：© The Cosmonaut / CC BY-SA 2.5，Wikimedia Commons
