The Peronist Axel Kicillof, governor of the province of Buenos Aires, renewed his position this Monday after winning re-election on October 22. What happened this Monday was a procedure before the provincial assembly, but its symbolic weight is enormous: with the far-right Javier Milei anointed president of Argentina this Sunday, and the traditional right aligned in his ranks and in his Cabinet, Kicillof has become the most visible representative of a Peronism without clear leaders, which has just lost the national government and needs to regroup to lead the opposition.
Kicillof picked up the glove. “There was a lack of more rebellion, more social justice, more distribution of wealth and more equality. We could not respond as a political force to these needs,” he criticized the Government of now former President Alberto Fernández, and also attacked Milei. “We must respect the hope of millions of Argentines who elected him while waiting for a better time. However, I am not going to lie to you, in my opinion the proposals of the force that won do not lead to a better society or a better economy,” he said. “What is missing cannot be achieved with a chainsaw or adjustment! “Without equal opportunities, the famous 'freedom' is a scam.”
“We will have to live with a national government whose priorities we do not share, but whose popular legitimacy we respect,” said Kicillof in his inauguration speech, and marked the line against the president who this Sunday in his own swearing-in as governor predicted a harsh fiscal adjustment and more inflation.
37% of the Argentine population lives in the province of Buenos Aires. Bastion of Peronism that has governed it for 36 of the 40 years of democracy, Kicillof was re-elected in October with great relief: the entire opposition would have defeated him, but the single-round election system gave him victory with 45% of the votes. His victory also underpinned the comeback of the Peronist Sergio Massa in the first presidential turn, who despite poverty, the economic crisis and corruption scandals, retained the Buenos Aires vote. Milei narrowed the margin in the second round: Massa scored just one point in the province of Buenos Aires and Milei won the presidency with 56% throughout the country.
Kicillof, a 52-year-old economist and Cristina Kirchner's Minister of Economy at the end of her second Government (2012-2015), is today one of the visible faces of a Peronism that is being rebuilt in the opposition. He is also one of the few survivors of Peronism defeated this year. Former president Alberto Fernández maintains the national presidency of the strongest wing of Peronism, the Justicialist Party, which has internal elections in April 2025, but his lack of political backing calls into question his continuity as he prepares to settle in Spain to dedicate himself to teaching. university. Massa was also relegated from public functions after his electoral defeat. He left the Ministry of Economy this December 10 in almost absolute silence. In his only appearance before the press in the weeks after the defeat, Massa announced that he has “three offers” to work in the private sector “outside of Argentina” and that he would “evaluate” what was most convenient for the family. of the.
The question is what place awaits Cristina Kirchner, who this Monday accompanied Kicillof at his inauguration. The former president (2007-2015) is still the highest-rated politician of Peronism. A study by the Escenarios consultation gives him a 32.83% positive image – two points above Kicillof, the second best viewed – and reveals the abyss that exists in the Argentine voter compared to Kirchner: with 56% negative image , is also the worst-regarded policy in the country.
Balancing the bad image of the most influential leader of the movement with her political influence will be one of the greatest summits of Peronism that will confront President Javier Milei. The mystery is reinforced by the fact that the young people who will lead the party in Congress remain under its wing: Eduardo de Pedro, head of the Peronist senators in the Upper House, was born in politics from the Kirchnerist youth; The first deputy in the Lower House is none other than the eldest son of the former president, Máximo Kirchner; and one of the most relevant social leaders, Juan Grabois, who challenged Massa in the presidential race championed by the left of the movement, also affirms his loyalty to the former president. Kicillof, a former professor and researcher in Economics, is also one of those young Kirchnerists, but for months he has been calling to “stop living off of Perón, Evita, Néstor and Cristina” to “build a new utopia.” The sight of him has caused friction with some of his contemporaries.
With Kirchner applauding him this afternoon in the Buenos Aires legislature, Kicillof repeated the idea. “The wonderful years should not be a source of nostalgia or melancholy, they should be converted into a manual on how to govern with courage and love for the country in favor of the majorities,” he said.
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