Foreign minister Diana Mondino has become the latest big name in President Javier Milei’s government to lose her post.
The economist’s departure means that at least 30 high-level officials have left government, either via dismissal or resignation.
The exit of Mondino – who will be replaced by Argentina’s current Ambassador to the United States, Gerardo Werthein – was preceded by former Energy secretary Eduardo Rodríguez Chirillo last week, who left his post for “personal reasons.”
Francisco Sánchez did likewise at the Foreign Ministry, where he worked as the Worship secretary, departing amid a power struggle that has now seen the head of the portfolio ejected.
The portfolio with the highest number of resignations or dismissals is Sandra Pettovello’s Human Capital Ministry. The most notable exit was former Childhood, Adolescence & Family secretary Pablo de la Torre, displaced after the discovery of tonnes of undelivered food to soup kitchens.
De la Torre’s resignation also saw former Social Policy undersecretary Héctor Calvente, former Territorial & Human Development undersecretary, Lucía Raskovsky, and ex-Childhood Secretariat’s Family Policy undersecretary, Ana Marmora, leave their posts.
The Human Capital Ministry has also seen the ousting of former Labour, Employment & Social Security secretary Omar Yasín, followed by the head of the portfolio’s advisory group Fernando Szereszevky.
Pettovello also dismissed the former Labour Relations undersecretary Mariana Hortal Sueldo, former Labour undersecretary Horacio Pitrau,. former Legal & Administrative Coordination secretary, Maximiliano Keczeli and ex-Administrative Management undersecretary of the Legal & Administrative Coordination Secretariat, Gonzalo Fortín, among others.
The Economy Ministry, led by Luis Caputo, is another area of the Cabinet that has seen significant departures, led by former Energy secretary Flavia Royón and ex-Bioeconomy secretary Fernando Vilella.
Former Electric Power undersecretary Héctor Falzone, former president of the CNEA National Atomic Power Commission Adriana Serkis, former head of the BICE Investment & International Trade Bank Juan Manuel Troncoso, and Economic Policy secretary Joaquín Cottani, among others, have also gone.
One of the biggest departures of government to date was the exit of former Cabinet chief Nicolás Posse, Milei’s friend and work colleague of many years. The Office of the Cabinet Chief, now headed by ex-Interior minister Guillermo Francos, has also seen key officials leave, including former Innovation, Science & Technology secretary Alejandro Cosentino and Sports undersecretary Julio Garro.
Within Milei’s own office, economist Fausto Spotorno and textile businessman Teddy Karagozian have left their advisory positions amid disagreements, while Silvestre Sívori left his position as comptroller of the AFI Federal Intelligence Agency, replaced by Sergio Neiffert, a man said to be controlled by top presidential advisor Santiago Caputo.
Elsewhere, former Health minister Mario Russo has quit, while Research, Industrial Policy & Production secretary of the Defence Ministry, Raúl Marino has also left.
Early dismissals from government include former head of the ANSES social security bureau Osvaldo Giordano, and the AySA water company, Marcelo Papandrea.
The first to leave the libertarian government – and one of its most high-profile departures – was former Infrastructure minister Guillermo Ferraro, the first top tier official to lose his post.
– TIMES/PERFIL
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