Hundreds of protesters clash with police during debate on Javier Milei's economic reforms

Protesters say everything was calm until the police decided to shoot. Photo: Reuters/Agustín Markarian About 40 lawmakers called on police to stop the violence. Photo: Reuters/Agustin Markarian

Mr Miley, a self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist, told Argentines that «shock therapy» was needed to lift the country out of a severe economic crisis in which 40 percent of people live in poverty.

He warned that if his radical reforms were not implemented, Argentina would face a “social catastrophe of biblical proportions.”

Inflation reached 211 percent, the value of the national currency, within six weeks of his presidency. fell sharply and gas prices doubled.

Last week, tens of thousands of Argentines protested to chants of “Milei is not my president,” marking the first nationwide strike by the new right-wing leader. The average Argentine president goes 692 days without a strike, but Mr. Miley lasted only 45 days.

“These “reforms” are disrespectful to us. Miley is like a monarch, a mad king, and we are his toy,” Andrea Gontar, a 58-year-old music professor, told The Telegraph during a nationwide protest.

Mr Miley’s original proposal contained more than 650 articles, but in an attempt to gain support from the opposition, which has a majority in the lower house, it has since been reduced.

Among the most significant changes are that state-owned oil and gas company YPF will not be privatized and the executive will have limited ability to raise export duties.

Mr Miley's government has also abandoned plans to cut public funding for the film industry after the negative reaction prompted support from international stars such as Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar.

Many of the proposals are being challenged in court, with more than 60 lawsuits pending. Labor reforms, which included cutting maternity leave, extending probationary periods and cutting severance pay, were temporarily frozen.

Some of the things people are protesting against include cuts to maternity leave, extensions to probationary periods and cuts to severance pay. Photo: AP/Rodrigo Abd

A provision that would give Mr. Miley special emergency powers allowing him to make decisions without consulting Congress on a range of issues, including the economy and security, is nonetheless still part of the proposed legislation. Critics say it will undermine Argentine democracy.

Mr. Miley, a libertarian economist and former television pundit, won the November election with 55.65 percent of the vote and his approval ratings remain high. Recent polls have shown him supported by 58 percent of the population.

Dr. Julio Montero, assistant professor of political theory at the University of San Andrés, said he believes most Argentines will be “moderately tolerant” of the government for a few months, but the situation is “extremely fragile.”

“In December, [monthly] inflation was around 20 percent, and the government cut subsidies for electricity, fuel and transport. All this literally destroys wages. So social humor may soon change,” he said.

The congressional debate is expected to last several days.