President Javier Milei signed an extensive decree, of over 300 articles, to completely deregulate Argentina's economy.

It includes modifications in the fields of labor, commercial, health, telecommunications, housing rentals, land ownership and more.

The resolution was presented in a message broadcast on national TV, in which Mr Milei spoke on camera surrounded by his ministers.

The decree declares a state of economic emergency and, according to the President, "begins to unblock the oppressive legal framework that has destroyed the country".

He assured that it seeks to dismantle the "collectivist" profile of the State, the cause, according to him, for which Argentina has been failing for about a century.

In its first articles, the law repeals norms to guarantee the supply in the domestic market, such as the Supply and Supermarket laws.

Likewise, any kind of ceilings or restrictions on exports and imports will be eliminated.

The objective, explained the President, is that the State will no longer infringe on the "property rights of individuals".

It also orders the transformation of all state-owned companies into corporations, so that they can be privatized.

There are more than 30 companies, among them oil company YPF; Aerolíneas Argentinas, Trenes Argentinos, the water company AYSA and Radio Nacional, to which this radio station, Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior, belongs.

In labor matters, the trial period is extended from 3 to 8 months and severance payments are reduced.

The executive order also stipulates the deregulation of communications and satellite internet services.

In this way, Milei explained, companies such as Starlink, owned by South African entrepreneur Elon Musk, will be able to operate in Argentina.

The resolution also eliminates restrictions on private health care, so that providers will be able to set their values freely.

In addition, Milei's decree liberalizes the rental market, so that landlords and tenants can freely negotiate the terms and in the currencies of their choice, whether pesos or dollars.

The resolution was quickly questioned by several political and union sectors.

The main labor union, the CGT, considered the decree to be "manifestly unconstitutional".

Meanwhile, former President Alberto Fernández posted on social networks that it was "against the national industry and workers' rights".

Like other opposition leaders, he denounced that with the decree, the Executive Power has advanced over the exclusive attributions of the Legislative Power".

After the presidential message, thousands of people took to the streets in Buenos Aires and other cities to demonstrate against the decree.

In front of the Congress, a crowd banged pots and pans and chanted slogans such as "the Homeland is not for sale".

Demonstrators cut the traffic despite the enforcement of a new "protocol" against roadblocks.

This plan had been implemented for the first time during the afternoon during a march on the anniversary of the social outbreak of 2001.

Through a strong police operation, streets and bridges were prevented from being cut.

In addition, the beneficiaries of social programs had been warned that they would stop receiving their benefits if they interrupted traffic.

Security Minister Patricia Bullrich described the debut of the protocol as a success and assured that "it is evident that many people decided not to attend".