Controversial Peruvian Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa told media in Buenos Aires on Thursday (May 5) that Argentina was on the verge of becoming Latin America’s second Venezuela until it voted in conservative President Mauricio Macri, bringing an end to more than a decade of free-spending leftist populism with a promise to open up the ailing economy to investors.
The upset ended 12 years of Peronist-run governments under former leader Cristina Fernandez and her late husband Nestor Kirchner, a power couple who emerged after Argentina’s epic economic collapse in 2001-02.
Slamming Peronism in Argentina, Vargas Llosa said the origins of the Peronist political thought in the country were undemocratic and brought South America’s second-largest economy to the brink under the weight of debt and sluggish economic growth.
“Argentina brought the world here. It opened its borders and brought in the best (migrants) and it prospered greatly. Peronism then came with this system and put up a wall exploiting the terrible feeling of nationalism. Isn’t it true? It believed in self-reliance, in economic autocracy. This principle has been disastrous for Argentina. Peronism was not democratic. Peronism was absolutely intolerant and believed it was representing all of Argentine society, just like authoritarian parties. Later on there were democratic branches but essentially Peronism was never democratic, this is the reality. Therefore, hopefully what happened to socialism happens to Peronism, that it stops being what it once was and becomes a democratic party but with the facade of Peronist rhetoric. We say that Peronism was in power for 12 years with the Kirchners but where did it take Argentina? To the brink. Argentina was on the brink of becoming a second Venezuela. Fortunately Argentines rebounded thanks to the last election. It needs to be said clearly, it is a tragedy that a country with a high level of culture, that despite all that Argentina continues to get in Latin America there is no political culture that is on par with the level of culture. This is the truth and I think this has a name, it is an illness which has a name, Peronism,” he said.
Peronism first emerged in 1946 Argentina and its policies have been derided as populist. Some of Peronism’s greatest figures in Argentina include Juan Domingo Peron and Eva Person.
Vargas Llosa, who once ran for president in Peru on a conservative ticket, is a strong critic of the left in Latin America. He has criticised Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro.