Argentine deputy Javier Milei, an economist with a libertarian ideology, raffled off his salary as a national legislator on Wednesday in a raffle that exceeded one million registered people and promised that he will do so every month.
The draw was held in the coastal city of Mar del Plata, in the province of Buenos Aires, where the legislator organized a small act in front of the beach and, after announcing a person named Hugo Federico Nacarado as the winner, gave a public discussion about economy.
According to data from the website, 1,040,625 people participated and the winner will have ten days to prove their identity or the prize will be raffled again.
Milei’s salary as a parliamentarian amounts to 205,000 pesos a month (about 1,979 US dollars or 1,741 euros).
The deputy assured that the draw was a "return" and denied that it is "a gesture of populism", given the criticism he received on social networks and that earned him an official investigation by the Public Information Access Agency (AAIP) days ago.
The investigation was opened because the web page where the registration was made did not have any type of section based on the protection of personal data and did not specify what would happen to the database after the draw or how Argentine citizens could exercise their right of control contemplated by law 25,326 on the matter.
To participate, those interested must provide their full name, identity document number, telephone, email and date of birth, in addition to being over 18 years of age.
In the legislative elections of November 14, the coalition "Freedom Advances", led by Milei, was positioned as the third force in the city of Buenos Aires and obtained a total of 310,036 votes (17.03% of the votes), obtaining two deputies for this district.
The national deputy became recognized through the media for his outbursts against the traditional political “caste” and what he calls “cultural Marxism.”
Among some of his proposals, the libertarian defends the suppression of the Central Bank and the Argentine peso as a common currency, as well as the deregulation of the financial system, considering taxes as a "remora" of slavery.
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