(Reuters) – Argentine radical libertarian Javier Milei is in touch with the International Monetary Fund regarding the country’s $44 billion loan deal, he told local radio on Tuesday, just days after his shock win in the country’s primary election.
Milei, a right-wing outsider who got 30% of the vote in the a presidential primary election on Sunday, told Argentine radio station Radio La Red that his sister and campaign manager had received a call from the IMF to schedule a meeting.
A spokesperson for the IMF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is typical for the IMF to meet with leading political candidates to develop relationships in case they eventually take office.
“In the last few hours my sister was contacted from the IMF to have a meeting. We are looking at how to deal with it,” Milei told the radio station.
The rock-singing libertarian has appealed to Argentine voters with his radical economic policy promises, including that he will shut the central bank, dollarize the economy and sharply cut state spending. The primary is seen as a good indicator of how the population will vote in October’s general election.
Argentina, the largest debtor with the IMF after years of economic crisis, has seen inflation hit triple-digits as savers have lost faith in the currency, pushing almost four-in-ten people below the poverty line.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; editing by Barbara Lewis)
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