Debate on QR! about opposition challenges and industrial crisis in Argentina

On Canal E's QR! program, experts discussed how to build an effective opposition against Javier Milei's government amid global changes and a political participation crisis. Sociologist Luci Cavallero and political scientist Nicolás Tereschuk analyzed the rise of radical right wings and the need for new organizational forms. Additionally, former minister José Ignacio de Mendiguren warned of a 14% drop in industry, questioning the current economic model.

Canal E's QR! program, hosted by Pablo Caruso, devoted its February 26, 2026, episode to examining the political and economic challenges under Javier Milei's government. Caruso posed the central question: “How does opposition build against a government like Milei's to win elections while sustaining an ideological base that does not endorse structural reforms like labor ones?”.

Political scientist Nicolás Tereschuk explained that Argentina's Congress tends to support presidents during periods of political stability. “When a president stabilizes politically, it is usual for them to have the levers to pass the laws they promote,” he noted. Tereschuk also linked technological, geopolitical, and social changes to the emergence of radicalized right wings with disruptive agendas worldwide.

Sociologist Luci Cavallero attributed the growth of far-right movements to decades of neoliberal policies that altered work, the economy, and social ties. “Extreme right wings do not appear out of nowhere: they are the result of a prior economic and social process,” she stated. Cavallero highlighted the citizen participation crisis, where “participating politically has become a privilege” due to economic precariousness that forces people to focus on survival.

In the economic segment, José Ignacio de Mendiguren, former Production Minister, criticized the industrial deterioration. “The industry falls 14% and at the same time they talk of growth. We must look at which sectors grow and which are destroyed,” he warned, referring to the concept of “industricidio.” He compared the situation to the post-2001 recovery, from 2002 to 2011, based on production and the internal market. De Mendiguren questioned prioritizing financial speculation over the real economy, citing examples from Germany, Brazil, and the United States that protect their productive capacity. “Destroying is easy; building industry takes years,” he said. He insisted that promoting employment does not mean flexibilizing to fire, and that development comes from producing wealth, not speculation.

The debate concluded by emphasizing the need to rethink political programs and organizational forms in a society undergoing accelerated changes, addressing material conditions for participation and preserving industry for jobs and technology.

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