Stories that caught our eye: September 5 to 12

MASSIVE BA SETBACK

The “technical draw” forecast by President Javier Milei for last Sunday’s midterms in Buenos Aires Province ended up as a defeat for his Alianza La Libertad Avanza (ALLA) by over 13 percentage points (47.3 to 33.7 percent) at the hands of the Fuerza Patria backing the Buenos Aires provincial government in a 61 percent turnout – a complete surprise since no opinion poll had given the Peronists a double-digit lead. Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof triumphed in six of the eight electoral sections, winning 13 of the 23 senate seats at stake with 21 of the 46 deputies while ALLA finished with eight senators and 18 deputies (with only nine seats in both houses going elsewhere in a polarised race). President Milei’s immediate reaction was to admit a “clear defeat” which he blamed on political errors while ratifying his economic policies. The next day he revived a national political round table including his closest aides and only excluding Eduardo ‘Lule’ Menem while offering dialogue to provincial governors. The political panel was criticised by the opposition, among other factors because it retained Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei (widely considered a marshal of defeat on both sides), while no clear alternative strategy emerged from its first meetings but on Wednesday Milei announced that the Interior Ministry would be revived under Lisandro Catalán. In the light of the disastrous defeat Milei cancelled a trip to Spain to attend a far right Vox continental rally this weekend, which he will nevertheless join online. Next Monday President Milei is to announce the 2026 Budget on its statutory date of September 15 via nationwide broadcast.

INFLATION BELOW 2%

Last month’s inflation was 1.9 percent, an identical figure to July, INDEC statistics bureau announced on Wednesday, thus reaching 19.5 percent so far this year at an annual rate of 33.6 percent. The highly volatile dollar of the last six weeks has thus not been reflected in prices. The key item of food and beverages rose 1.4 percent with transport (3.6 percent), restaurants and hotels (3.4 percent), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (2.7 percent) education (2.5 percent) and miscellaneous goods and services (2.2 percent) all topping the average while garments and footwear actually experienced deflation (-0.3 percent). Core inflation (excluding regulated and seasonal prices) was two percent. Economy Minister Luis Caputo celebrated four consecutive months below two percent. On Monday City Hall statisticians posted an even lower figure for August inflation – 1.6 percent, down from July’s 2.5 percent with financial services (5.7 per cent) and transport (three percent) the main culprits while food and beverages was barely one percent.

DEBT ROLLOVER

Last Wednesday Economy Minister Luis Caputo managed to refinance 91.4 percent of the 7.2 trillion pesos of public debt in the hands of banks despite the post- electoral market volatility while lowering interest rates from previous bond issues (dropping from 54 to 49.6 percent). The government received offers totalling 7.418 trillion pesos, of which it accepted 6.633 trillion. A few hours before the operation the Central Bank had lowered general interest rates from 40 to 35 percent.

MORE BILLS VETOED

President Javier Milei last Wednesday issued a total veto of the university financing bill (Law 27,795) passed by Congress last August 21 via Decree 647/2025. The bill proposes to increase spending on public universities in general, including infrastructure and research, while improving the salaries of lecturers and non-academic staff in particular with more scholarships. The government objected to the bill as jeopardising its control over public spending. Milei also simultaneously vetoed the bill declaring a state of emergency for the Garrahan Children’s Hospital and increasing its funding while holding back for now on a veto of the bill for the automatic distribution of ATN Treasury remittances among the governors. Finally, the return of the Interior Ministry to be headed by Lisandro Catalán was formalised.

MILEI MOURNS KIRK

President Javier Milei on Wednesday sent the following condolences to the family of Charlie Kirk, 31, the right-wing activist fatally shot through the throat at a Utah university the same day: "My condolences to the family of Charlie Kirk and to all the youth around the world who admired him and listened to him. A formidable populariser of the ideas of liberty and a staunch defender of the West. He was the victim of an atrocious assassination in the midst of a wave of political violence throughout the region. The left is always a violent phenomenon full of hate at every time and place. The whole world has lost an incredible human being. Farewell." Casa Rosada official photographer Santiago Oria accompanied the presidential words with a video and photo of Milei with the late leader of Turning Point USA, one of the most influential conservative youth organisations in the United States. Oria’s words – "They have killed one of our own" – were widely quoted in the presidential entourage.

TRUMP DUMP

Although over 300 Argentines accused of illegal immigration and various crimes in the United States have already been deported by the Donald Trump administration, the first batch to be sent to Argentine soil at Ezeiza International Airport numbering 17 arrived early Thursday, despite the efforts of the Javier Milei government and its Ambassador to Washington Alec Oxenford to keep the news secret. According to Clarín, Argentina has no plans to protest like most other South American countries.

KARINA SUMMONED

Deputy Julia Strada (Unión por la Patria-Buenos Aires Province) confirmed on Wednesday that the commission investigating the ‘$LIBRA’ cryptocurrency scam hitting thousands of investors duped by the presidential promotion had summoned presidential chief-of-staff Karina Milei for the week between October 23 and 30, while adding that the jurisprudence existed to enforce her presence if necessary. Strada also accused the prosecutor Eduardo Taiano of dragging his feet despite overwhelming evidence with various money transfers and Casa Rosada visits by the beneficiaries.

KREMLIN PROTESTS

The Russian Foreign Ministry last Tuesday summoned the Argentine Ambassador to Moscow Enrique Ferrer Vieyra to protest the “unacceptable” accusations of National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich of having illegally bugged the Casa Rosada and thus contributed to the ongoing scandal surrounding Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei and her aides who allegedly collected bribes on medical assistance for the disabled.

GORDO DAN LETS FLY

Libertarian militant streamer Daniel ‘Gordo Dan’ Parisini last Tuesday made a public request for the resignations of top government advisor Eduardo “Lule” Menem and Buenos Aires Province La Libertad Avanza party boss Sebastián Pareja, blaming them for last Sunday’s electoral defeat and accusing them of hiding behind Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei as a “human shield.” Fellow-streamer and radio host Tomás Rebord then asked him why he did not go one further and propose dumping Karina herself. Prior to last Sunday’s election Parisini last made some harsh comments about the disabled which are said to have swayed many votes and last weekend Senator Luis Juez (PRO-Córdoba), the father of a disabled girl, revealed that Karina had apologised to him for those remarks.

ABUELAS ICON DIES

The honorary president of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, Rosa Tarlovsky de Roisinblit, died last weekend at the great age of 106. Born on August 15, 1919 in Moisés Ville, Santa Fe, she became a senior obstetrician in Rosario before moving to Buenos Aires and marrying Benjamín Roisinblit. She joined the Grandmothers after the disappearance of her only daughter Patricia and her son-in-law José Pérez Rojo, both Montonero militants, on October 6, 1978, when they were abducted by an Air Force unit in Martínez along with their baby daughter Mariana Eva. The baby was eventually returned to the Pérez Rojo family but Patricia (eight months pregnant) was taken to the notorious ex-ESMA Navy Mechanics School detention centre where she gave birth to a son Rodolfo Fernando, illegally adopted by an Air Force family. After decades of search Rosa finally found her grandson following an anonymous denunciation and genetic tests but the parents remain missing to this day. Those responsible for the abduction and illegal adoption were tried and sentenced.

SOUP KITCHENS MALIGNED?

Just before last Sunday’s elections the Human Capital Ministry officially admitted that the audit quoted by then Cabinet Chief Nicolás Posse 15 months ago to claim that half the soup kitchens were non-existent never took place. The spurious argument was used by the Milei administration to cut back millions of kilos in food deliveries.  

BOTCHED PASSPORTS

The RENAPER (Registro Nacional de las Personas) civil registry office last Tuesday warned that the AAL series of Passports had been issued without the ink to authenticate them in some cases, which could cause complications at immigration controls. The defect is invisible to the human eye but can be detected by scanners at airports and frontier posts. Over 200,000 documents are under review although not more than 5,000-6,000 are believed to be affected. The problem is blamed on a German supplier. RENAPER recommends that those with the passports AAL314778 to AAL346228, AAL400000 to AAL607599 and AAL616000 to AAL620088 should go to one of their offices or the nearest Argentine consulate if abroad. 

… BUT A WHIMPER

The Argentine football squad concluded 18 matches of qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup last Tuesday with a forgettable 1-0 away defeat against Ecuador, which did not prevent them from finishing comfortably ahead of all other South American countries with 38 points. The only goal in a drab match with a red card for each team was a penalty converted in the extra time of the first half by the veteran Enner Valencia in his 100th match for Ecuador.