Berlin – The German government is pointedly declining to comment on remarks made by CDU leader Friedrich Merz criticizing Argentinian President Javier Milei, signaling a cautious approach to the unfolding political landscape in Buenos Aires. Deputy government spokesman Steffen Meyer, responding to inquiries from the dts news agency on Monday, firmly stated that Berlin would refrain from addressing Merz’s past statements.
Merz, in December 2024 while serving as opposition leader, delivered a sharp rebuke of Milei during the ARD political talk show “Maischberger” accusing the Argentine president of “ruining the country” and displaying a contemptuous disregard for its citizens. His commentary was a direct response to earlier suggestions from former Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who advocated for adopting aspects of Milei’s and Elon Musk’s approaches in Germany.
The Foreign Office echoed this reluctance to engage, simply acknowledging the importance of democratic elections in Argentina and offering no further substantive comment on the results.
Sunday’s parliamentary elections saw a resounding victory for Milei’s “La Libertad Avanza” party, securing approximately 41 percent of the nationwide vote. This landslide places the party firmly in the lead, followed by the Peronist alliance with 32 percent – a significant shift from pre-election polls which had indicated a marginal lead for the Peronists.
These midterm elections, representing the first major gauge of public sentiment since Milei’s presidency began, appear to significantly bolster his position. The result is widely interpreted as a mandate allowing him to pursue his ambitious and often controversial austerity measures with greater legislative leeway. While lauded by some as necessary reforms to revitalize the Argentine economy, Milei’s policies have also drawn considerable criticism regarding their potential impact on social welfare and inequality. The German government’s deliberate silence on both Merz’s previous critique and the election outcome suggests a calculated desire to avoid entanglement in Argentina’s increasingly polarized political environment, while subtly acknowledging the potential implications for broader economic and geopolitical dynamics.