Argentina’s government sees 2026 as its “golden opportunity” to pass major economic reform ahead of the following year’s presidential election, according to the minister tasked with enacting President Javier Milei’s ‘chainsaw’ deregulation agenda.

Milei, who has relied heavily on executive powers to slash spending and regulation, lost dozens of congressional votes in 2025 as campaigning for October midterm elections frayed alliances between his La Libertad Avanza and moderate parties.

But having more than doubled its congressional bloc at those elections, the government believes it can now pass labour and tax overhauls, as well as a hardline new penal code. Such reforms have long been resisted by the country’s leftwing Peronist opposition, which scored 32 per cent at the midterms compared with 41 per cent for LLA.