"Socialist vote farm": the controversial message against Tierra del Fuego that Javier Milei shared on social media

Another tense week between the government and the province of Tierra del Fuego , which was affected by a change in the tariff regime for imported products that compete with those produced in that territory, culminated this Friday afternoon with a veiled message from the President: "A people designed to live off public employment," Javier Milei reposted a post from a pro-government Twitter user.

The issue began on Tuesday, when presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni announced the government's decision to eliminate import tariffs on electronic products that compete in the market with those produced (or assembled) in the province of Tierra del Fuego. The measure will be implemented in two phases: one in the short term, following the publication of the decree in the official gazette, when from then on, tariffs will be paid at half the current rate (for example, cell phones pay 16% of this type of tariff); and another in the medium term, next January, with the complete elimination of the tariffs.

Workers, business owners, unions, and even the provincial government have come out against the executive branch. "With the announced reduction in tariffs, it's very difficult to continue manufacturing cell phones in Argentina; the Argentine cost is too high to compete on a level playing field," said Luis Galli, CEO of Newsan , one of the two major assembly plants operating in the Patagonian province, last week. Unions in Tierra del Fuego have called for a total strike in that district for Wednesday, May 21.

The governor of Tierra del Fuego, Gustavo Melella, didn't hold back: he called the Minister of Deregulation, Federico Sturzenegger, a "scoundrel," called pro-government deputy José Luis Espert a brazen figure, and asserted that the government's measure had electoral overtones and was the responsibility of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The governor's office is also considering legal action to stop the measure .

Tierra del Fuego prohibits nuclear energy generation in its provincial constitution. They are a people designed to live off public employment and defraud the continent with Chinese assembly lines. The damage that co-participation has done to the country's development is incalculable.

— Town Crier (@PregoneroL) May 16, 2025

Meanwhile, President Milei has not publicly commented on the measure, either in official communications or on his social media accounts. However, he did take a position on the latter: on Friday afternoon , he retweeted one of the leading libertarian Twitter users, Pregonero, the creator of the hashtag #nolaven , which later became a slogan for the ruling party.

" Tierra del Fuego has prohibited the generation of nuclear energy in its provincial Constitution. They are a people designed to live off public employment and defraud the continent with Chinese assemblies. The damage that co-participation has done to the country's development is incalculable," wrote user Pregonero, the first of two posts published on Friday morning on his official X account. This first message was retweeted by the President in the afternoon.

The second of Pregonero's posts: "It seems they've found every excuse to do nothing: fishing, energy, tourism, they've found a way to prohibit or punish any human activity. They're just a socialist vote farm ."

It seems they've found every excuse to do nothing: fishing, energy, tourism—they've found a way to ban or punish any human activity. They're just a socialist vote farm.

— Town Crier (@PregoneroL) May 16, 2025

The national government did address the issue of Tierra del Fuego and the change in tariffs affecting the province and its population, according to Guillermo Francos, Chief of Staff. He did so during a radio interview at noon on Friday.

" We need to strike a balance between the rights of consumers, Tierra del Fuego industrialists, importers, and merchants. Many people questioned us for not addressing the Tierra del Fuego Law, and now they're questioning us for taking this measure, telling us we've forgotten about the island," Francos complained.

And he continued, speaking with El Observador: "All of this is quite common in Argentina : when you try to move forward, there are those who put up obstacles, sometimes from one side, sometimes from the other."