LLA-PRO conclave as Mauricio Macri, Karina Milei ‘resume contact’

Mauricio Macri and Karina Milei have resumed dialogue and opened a formal negotiating channel between the right-wing PRO and La Libertad Avanza parties, following months of estrangement between the former head of state and President Javier Milei.

The first formal step was a meeting at the Casa Rosada on Thursday, attended by representatives of both political forces. 

The first formal step was a meeting at the Casa Rosada on Thursday, attended by representatives of both political forces. The idea, according to local media, is to “rebuild trust” and restore political and legislative coordination.

Macri informed PRO’s executive committee of his renewed contact with Karina Milei, President Milei’s influential sister and presidential chief-of-staff, this week. Following that conversation, he asked veteran politician Cristian Ritondo and the party’s secretary-general Fernando de Andreis to represent PRO at Thursday’s conclave.

La Libertad Avanza’s negotiators were Cabinet Chief Diego Santilli – a former PRO – and Eduardo ‘Lule’ Menem, one of the key figures in Karina’s operation. Government sources described it as “an initial teams’ meeting” and said it would therefore be premature to discuss potential candidates or agreements for next year’s general election.

The initial aim is to strengthen coordination between PRO and La Libertad Avanza and organise efforts in Congress, where the centre-right party has backed many of the initiatives promoted by President Milei since the beginning of his administration in December 2023. The talks will seek to improve cooperation and support the Government’s legislative agenda.

The relationship, however, has gone through periods of tension, mostly sparked by Macri’s public criticism of the Milei government and some of its members, as well as wider disputes between the two right-wing forces.

The rapprochement does not, at least for now, amount to a definitive reconciliation. According to local media, Macri has told party colleagues that he remains “sceptical” about the prospects of reaching a lasting agreement with La Libertad Avanza, although he told the PRO leadership that this year the party must “exhaust every attempt to ensure that this government succeeds.”

The talks are not intended at this stage to produce an electoral alliance for 2027 or formally bring PRO into the Government. Instead, sources close to the party leadership said the immediate priority is to restore political dialogue, unblock legislative cooperation and organise coexistence between the two forces in key districts, particularly Buenos Aires Province.

Government sources initially declined to confirm the dialogue between Macri and Karina Milei, although they did confirm a meeting between their respective teams. 

The new round of talks comes after a prolonged cooling of relations between Macri and President Milei. The two last met in November 2025 at the Quinta de Olivos presidential residence, with that meeting deepening their differences over government policy. In recent weeks, however, signs of a thaw have emerged.

Peronist conclave too

The renewed dialogue between PRO and La Libertad Avanza comes as the Peronist opposition is also seeking to improve coordination ahead of the 2027 elections.

Governors, congressional leaders and figures from different strands of Peronism held a three-hour meeting Wednesday to begin coordinating their legislative strategy and discuss the party’s longer-term electoral outlook. 

The meeting brought together Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof, La Rioja’s Ricardo Quintela, La Pampa’s Sergio Ziliotto, Formosa’s Gildo Insfrán, Tierra del Fuego’s Gustavo Melella and Santiago del Estero’s Gerardo Zamora, among others.

The meeting also included Frente Renovador leader Sergio Massa, Buenos Aires PJ chief Máximo Kirchner and the leaders of the Peronist opposition caucuses in Congress, Germán Martínez in the lower house and José Mayans in the Senate. Among the issues discussed were the 2027 budget, federal transfers to provinces, fuel taxes, the fiscal situation in the provinces and the future of Argentina’s PASO primary elections.

Participants agreed on the importance of maintaining the PASOs as a way of building a broad electoral coalition, despite the Milei government’s push to abolish the system. The meeting also marked an effort to create a political body bringing together governors, party leaders and lawmakers to coordinate the different strands of Peronism.

The presence of Kicillof, Massa and Máximo Kirchner was particularly significant. Kicillof is seen as a potential national contender, while Massa remains influential through the Frente Renovador and Máximo Kirchner retains considerable influence within the Buenos Aires PJ and Kirchnerist movement.

– TIMES/PERFIL/NA