President Javier Milei and his new Cabinet Chief Diego Santilli say it’s business as usual for the government – one week on from the exit of scandal-plagued official Manuel Adorni.
Milei formally swore in Santilli as his new chief of ministers on Tuesday, three days after confirming the veteran politician would replace Adorni, who is under investigation by the courts for alleged enrichment.
The inauguration ceremony, which took place in the Salón Blanco of the Casa Rosada, was attended by 13 provincial governors and Buenos Aires City Mayor Jorge Macri, Cabinet ministers and allied lawmakers – a turnout the government was keen to showcase as a sign of political support for the incoming Cabinet chief.
Adorni himself was present too, having met Santilli beforehand to discuss the handover. At the end of proceedings, he joined Milei and his successor in a three-way embrace once the oath had been taken.
Fourth time lucky?
Santilli, nicknamed 'el Colo,’ is the fourth Cabinet chief of Milei's Presidency. His appointment forms part of a wider government reshuffle that is designed to relaunch the administration following Adorni's departure.
The appointment also reshapes the government's organisation chart. The Interior Ministry, which Santilli had led since November, will again report directly to the Cabinet Office, reviving the arrangement used under Milei's first Cabinet chief, Guillermo Francos, and then-Interior minister Lisandro Catalán.
Santilli will now be backed by two new deputies: Ignacio Devitt, a Karina Milei ally who previously ran the Strategic Affairs Secretariat, becomes executive deputy Cabinet chief, while Gustavo Coria, a Santilli loyalist, takes charge of Interior matters.
Local media said the changes are intended to restore the government's focus on political negotiations with provincial governors and Congress, noting the similar approach adopted during Francos' tenure.
"The next stage involves continuing to advance the reforms we have carried out with the President and the governors. We must also understand that each province has its own reality, its own history, and its own future," Santilli told journalists, minutes before formally assuming office.
Adorni's exit had initially been a low-key affair. Milei spent the Saturday before the announcement at Olivos without holding a formal farewell, limiting himself to reposting messages of support after Adorni published a resignation letter citing "media attacks" over the enrichment allegations against him.
Karina Milei did, however, publicly thank Adorni for his work; Security Minister Patricia Bullrich struck a more cautious note, writing only that "trust and ethics are two fundamental elements for deepening change."
By Tuesday's ceremony, however, the mood had visibly warmed, with Adorni greeting ministers and legislators throughout the event before his farewell embrace with Milei and Santilli.
Santilli's first official act as Cabinet chief came the next morning, when he joined Milei and Karina Milei at the Salón Héroes de Malvinas to address more than 100 La Libertad Avanza deputies and senators.
Milei had originally been expected to skip the gathering for a Mercosur summit in Asunción; he postponed the trip instead to lead the meeting in person and attend the US Embassy’s Fourth of July party in Buenos Aires.
PRO politician
Santilli, 59, began his career in the opposition Peronist movement before joining the right-wing PRO party of ex-president Mauricio Macri. He went on to serve as deputy mayor and Security minister of Buenos Aires City, as well as a national senator and deputy.
He joined Milei's government as Interior minister in late 2025 to broaden the administration's political outreach, leading negotiations with governors and allied parliamentary blocs. Since then, he has become one of the President's most trusted political operators, enjoying the confidence of Milei, Karina Milei and senior adviser Santiago Caputo.
"I take on the greatest challenge of my life with the commitment to keep working so this government can continue making history. I believe in collective projects, not individual ones," Santilli wrote on social media after his appointment was announced.
He pledged to work "as part of a team" alongside "an outstanding Cabinet" led by the President, describing the administration as one with "a clear vision" and "the determination needed" to pull Argentina "once and for all out of the hole it was left in."
"I will give everything to ensure this government continues advancing the structural reforms Argentina has needed for decades. Thank you to the President and the presidential chief-of-staff for your confidence," said the former Interior minister.
Speaking later in a television interview, Milei said Santilli's political experience made him the ideal choice to replace Adorni.
"A large part of the job involves working with governors and requires political muscle. From my point of view, Santilli is a hard worker who understands politics very well," the President said.
Milei argued that Santilli would provide fresh momentum for the government's agenda.
"He will breathe new life into everything we still have to do. Even though we've already delivered not only on everything we promised during the presidential campaign, but also on all the commitments we made during the midterm campaign," he said.
– TIMES
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