Milei government hails Army chief appointment, opposition voices criticism

La Libertad Avanza and its allies welcomed Alejandra Monteoliva’s appointment as Security minister and Army chief Carlos Presti’s naming as Defence minister on Saturday, while Peronist leaders raced to criticised the designations.

After the Casa Rosada communiqué confirming the appointments was issued, President Javier Milei, Economy Minister Luis Caputo and new Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni hailed the appointments in a coordinated show of support.

“A great task lies ahead for both of them,” Adorni wrote on X, echoing the words of outgoing Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, who also took to social media to congratulate Monteoliva, her political underling.

“Ale, my congratulations on the enormous challenge you’re about to take on. I know your background, your professionalism and that commitment that defines you,” said Bullrich about Monteoliva, who up until now has served as national security secretary.

Meanwhile, outgoing Defence Minister Luis Petri praised the appointment of Lieutenant General Presti as his replacement.

“It’s reassuring to know that someone who served as our Army Chief will now continue as the future Defence Minister!” Petri wrote on social media.

In contrast, the Peronist opposition described the news as an “enormous step backwards,” noting the decision broke with Argentina's recent democratic conventions.

“The appointment of the current Chief of the Argentine Army General Staff as Defence Minister is an enormous step backwards for Argentine democracy and for the Armed Forces as an institution of the Republic,” said national deputy-elect Agustín Rossi, a former two-time Defence minister.

ForRossi, Presti’s appointment runs counter to four decades of consolidating civilian control over the Armed Forces.

“With this appointment, the Armed Forces become tied to the fate of the government, when they should be protected from any political circumstances,” Rossi argued in a post on X, endorsing the position that the military should be apolitical.

– TIMES/NA