Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 7:13 p.m.
On the 21st floor of the Hotel Libertador, in the heart of Buenos Aires, the new Argentina is being built. Javier Milei has lived there since the end of October, when the first round of the presidential elections raised him as one of the two candidates – along with the defeated Sergio Massa – to take over the reins of the country. Since Sunday he has served as head of state but has still not moved from this establishment that he boasts of being 'pet friendly' as long as the animal does not exceed 12 kilos. His beloved mastiffs are over 80 and yet the ultra leader delays his 'check out'. He will not pack his bags until 2024, when he hopes that the renovation commissioned for Quinta de Olivos, the official residence, will be completed. A project that will cost a fortune, about 95 million pesos (around 240,000 euros), despite the fact that “there is no money.”
The Quinta de Olivos has been the presidential residence in Argentina for more than half a century. It previously housed children's holiday camps and also functioned as a summer home for leaders. There is no shortage of space to relax – the complex occupies 30 hectares – nor a privileged natural environment, with a huge park where Milei's five dogs can roam freely. They (Conan, Murray, Milton, Robert and Lucas) are one of the reasons for the reform. “My sister is seeing how to adapt it – the home – to accommodate my four-legged children,” shared a few days ago the new president, 'father' of this large family of English mastiffs through cloning.
The remodeling of the Quinta de Olivos, where leaders from all over the world have passed on an official visit to Argentina, including Lehendakari Urkullu, aims to condition both the interior of the residence and the gardens for the dogs of the head of La Libertad Avanza. The little house located near the central part of the complex that was built under the mandate of Mauricio Macri could become the future accommodation for the mastiffs. A prominent place for some animals that Milei has engraved on her staff, which gives an idea of her importance in the president's life. It is not about comparing but her sister Karina is another of her pillars and the proof is that she herself will supervise the reform.
![The Casa Rosada, one of the icons of Buenos Aires, is the headquarters of the executive power in Argentina.](https://s2.ppllstatics.com/rc/www/multimedia/2023/12/13/argentina-3-kgOC--650x455@RC.jpg)
The Casa Rosada, one of the icons of Buenos Aires, is the headquarters of the executive power in Argentina.
Enrique García Medina/EFE
Milei, for now, has already ordered the mattresses – Argentine media claim that he even discussed the issue with his predecessor – and has prohibited the team of professionals in charge of the works from entering the official residence with their cell phones. She wants the Quinta de Olivos to be her refuge, and not only for rest while she tries to raise the country's economy with her shock plan, but also for work. The new president recognizes himself as a 'workalcoholic' for whom the iconic Casa Rosada is not enough to concentrate. «I'm going to settle in Olivos, so I work from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep. The idea is to be connected 24 hours a day,” he stated. After, yes, giving it a coat of paint and for 95 million pesos… something else.
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