Argentina and the end of the progressive era

Argentina: is the pogre era coming to an end?

A claim is echoing loudly through Argentina's political circles: pogre, it is said, has run its course. The phrase is not neutral —it carries a weight of weariness— but it reflects a mood that goes beyond political labels. The hard data is scarce, yet the intensity of the feeling invites the question of whether Argentina's political pendulum is about to swing.

After years of governments that claimed to be pogre —through various Peronist and Kirchnerist variants— social fatigue has taken hold. Inflation, currency controls, insecurity and a constant erosion of purchasing power have worn down the official narrative. Whether that weariness translates into an electoral shift is another matter.

The truth is that the debate over the end of pogre is nothing new in the region. Argentina, with its historic bipolarity between Peronism and anti-Peronism, has always been a barometer. But what is peculiar about the current moment is that the criticism is coming not only from the traditional opposition, but from sectors that once supported the model.

With an economy shackled by currency restrictions and inflation showing no sign of easing, the backward-looking pogre —as its critics call it— is hard to defend. But the alternative is not clear either. Irony of ironies: the end of pogre may not be the beginning of anything better, just more of the same under a different name.