Javier Milei vs Mahmoud Abbas

On his first day in office, Milei's economy minister Luis Caputo devalued the official peso by 50% to 800 per US dollar. This was part of a shock therapy to address hyperinflation and fiscal deficits.

Javier Milei won the 2023 Argentine general election runoff with 55.7% of the vote against Sergio Massa. He assumed office on December 10, 2023, as a libertarian outsider, the first such figure to lead Argentina.

Milei's government reported a fiscal surplus for the first quarter of 2024, the first quarterly surplus since 2008. This was achieved through deep spending cuts, including to subsidies and public works.

Milei submitted a sweeping omnibus bill to Congress proposing deregulation, privatization, and labor reforms. The bill sparked massive protests and was later withdrawn after failing to gain sufficient legislative support.

As a key PLO negotiator, Abbas was instrumental in the secret talks that led to the Oslo Accords. He signed the Declaration of Principles on behalf of the PLO, establishing the Palestinian Authority and a framework for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Following Yasser Arafat's death, Abbas was elected Chairman of the PLO. This position made him the central figure in Palestinian leadership, responsible for negotiations with Israel and internal Palestinian governance.

Abbas won the Palestinian presidential election with 62% of the vote. His election followed Arafat's death and was seen as a mandate for peace negotiations with Israel, though his term expired in 2009 without new elections.

After winning the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, Hamas forcibly seized control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah forces loyal to Abbas. This split the Palestinian territories into two rival governments: Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza.

Abbas formally submitted an application to the United Nations seeking full membership for the State of Palestine. The bid was not approved by the Security Council but led to Palestine being granted non-member observer state status in 2012.