On Nov. 19, Argentina elected its new president, Javier Milei, a right-wing libertarian, who defeated the Peronist former Minister of the Economy Sergio Massa with 55 percent of the vote. Milei came to power through elections amid a severe economic crisis in Argentina, marked by extremely high rates of inflation that reached 138% this September and over 40% of the national population living in poverty.

Milei has only recently become a political figure, having formerly been an economist, while his opponents were career politicians. He has drawn controversy for his public persona and presidential campaign, both of which have been observed to have a resemblance to the campaigns of other far-right figures such as former U.S. President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. His campaign featured many stunts, including a particular incident where he waved a chainsaw during rallies to symbolize his commitment to cutting government spending. Milei’s political persona has appealed to many as an anti-establishment option.

Unlike many of the recent right-wing movements that have been occurring worldwide, Milei’s popularity among the youth in Argentina is unique, with polls from October indicating that nearly 50%of voters aged 29 and younger supported him. For many, this decision has been fueled by years of economic crisis and rising poverty levels while their country was in the hands of other major political parties. While Milei was supported by many tired of the status quo, others voted for him because they viewed him as the lesser of two evils.

Milei will come into office with both radical ideas and the controversy many other anti-establishment candidates tend to carry with them. His campaign slogan, “Que se vayan todos,” or “get rid of them all” bears resemblance to Trump’s slogan, “Drain the swamp,” with both slogans calling for the ruling elite to lose their power.

Milei’s policies call for radical plans such as dollarizing the economy, which would replace the Argentinian peso with the US dollar. He also supports less regulations on gun control and dissolving government ministries dedicated to education, the environment, diversity, and more. In addition to these policies, Milei has sparked controversy for denying the existence of a gender wage gap, calling climate change a socialist lie, and being in favor of a market for organ transplants.

Despite the fact that many who elected Milei do not stand by most of his beliefs, but instead hope for economic change, analysts still predict a high risk of social upheaval. This would stem from the lack of support Milei would receive while in office, precisely because of his “outsider” status. Milei has no party support from mayors or governors in Argentina, and his party holds a minority share in both the Senate and the lower Chamber of Deputies, holding 7 out of 72 and 38 out of 257 seats, respectively.

The radical changes Milei proposes and the stark opposition he faces in implementing them will make governing difficult. While this means that Milei will struggle to create change, it will also likely result in anger among his citizens, which many fear will lead to unrest.