Advice from dogs. A chainsaw to the system. Javier Milei, far-right libertarian, is Argentina's new leader

He claims he gets his best advice from Murray, Milton, Robert and Lucas. Murray, Milton, Robert and Lucas are four mastiffs ? his dogs ? who he refers to as his children.

He says he's ready to attack the system with a chainsaw ? which he's proved on the campaign trail by repeatedly brandishing one in front of supporters. To symbolize his plans, he's also smashed a pi?ata live on TV.

And he's considering "blowing up" Argentina's central bank by ditching the local peso currency in favor of the U.S. dollar and outlawing abortion rights Argentina won only three years ago.

Javier Milei, 53, a far-right libertarian sometimes dubbed "El Loco" (the madman) by his critics, has drawn comparisons to Donald Trump. He was elected Argentina's new president Sunday after beating left-wing rival, Sergio Massa. With most votes counted, Milei won just shy of 56% of the votes compared to 44% for Massa.

He arrives to the presidency as Argentinians have been hard-hit by annual inflation of nearly 143%. Some 40% of Argentines live in poverty, according to the government's own statistics agency, INDEC.

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Milei has proposed radical overhauls to Alberto Fernandez's four-year-old administration, including sharply reducing welfare payments and bureaucracy ? the latter by closing down key ministries connected to women, health and education.

Abortion was legalized in Argentina in 2020 following large-scale protests known as the "green movement." In the run-up to the election, Milei said abortion supporters were "brainwashed by a homicidal policy" and he vowed to overturn the legislation if he won the presidency. Argentina previously permitted abortion only in cases of rape or incest or to save the mother’s life.

He also says he'll "dollarize" Argentina’s economy and shut down the central bank.

"This model of decadence has come to an end. There is no turning back," Milei said late Sunday, addressing his supporters during a victory speech. "From being the richest country in the world, today we (come in at) 130. Half of Argentines are poor and the other 10% are destitute. Stop this impoverishing model of the caste. Today we embrace the Libertarian model so as to return to being a global power."

Milei takes office Dec. 10.

Javier Milei: a TV president

A trained economist, Milei is a former TV "shock jock" pundit. He only entered politics a few years ago.

He is not married, has no children and is often seen in public with disheveled hair.

His sister is his chief political adviser.

According to Juan Luis Gonzalez, who spoke to Reuters about Milei and wrote a book about him called "El Loco," Argentina's new leader refers to his dogs as his "kids with four paws."

Murray, Milton, Robert and Lucas are, in fact, clones of Conan, an original dog of his who died in 2017.

In addition to his radical plans for Argentina's economy, Milei has also promised to rid his country's government of its "political caste" and to repeal abortion legislation.

"The changes our country needs are drastic. There is no room for gradualism," he said in his victory speech.

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In a brief statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Milei on his victory and said the U.S. looked forward to working with Milei and his government "on shared priorities that benefit the people of both countries, including protecting human rights and democracy, addressing climate change, and investing in the middle class."

His election drew praise from Brazil's far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro, who said Milei's victory meant that “hope would shine again in South America.” On Truth Social, a social media platform started by the former president, Trump said, "You will turn your country around and truly Make Argentina Great Again!"

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Javier Milei, far-right libertarian, is Argentina's new president