Argentinian President Javier Milei is striving to put himself forward as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Economics Sciences on account of his bold austerity program and radical restructuring of the country's economic system.
"Together with my senior advisor Demian Reidel, we are rewriting a large part of economic theory," Milei said on Monday during a visit to the Czech capital Prague.
"If we get it right, I will probably receive the Nobel Prize for Economics Sciences together with Demian," he added.
During his recent European tour, he received three awards from liberal think tanks in Spain, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
Argentina has been gripped by a severe economic crisis. Milei aims to revive the second-largest economy in South America with his radical austerity programme.
Milei's government recently cut thousands of jobs in the public sector, reduced subsidies and wound up social programmes.
During a visit to Berlin on Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Milei to employ socially acceptable policies as he rolls out his radical economic reform in Argentina.
Milei's approach has seen some success. The Argentinian state budget is balanced for the first time in a long time and inflation has significantly decreased.
However, the strict measures are affecting the economy. Economic performance dropped by 5.1% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, according to the country's statistical office Indec.
Almost 56% of the population in Argentina live below the poverty line, with around 18% in extreme poverty, according to the Catholic University of Argentina.