Catamarca Governor Could Split Peronist Bloc in Congress

The governor met with the Chief of Staff, Manuel Adorni, and the Minister of the Interior, Diego Santilli, to discuss the 2026 budget. He was one of the few governors who did not make statements to the accredited press upon leaving the Casa Rosada on both occasions, although his support for the 'Law of Laws' was considered unlikely. In the past, Jalil was one of the Peronist governors who provided his congressional deputies to shield presidential vetoes on pension increases or university salary hikes. He maintained constant contact with the government of Javier Milei after the national 'violet' electoral victory and, on Monday afternoon, received presidential advisor Santiago Caputo at the Casa Rosada. This meeting fueled rumors that he will break his party's bloc in the Lower House, just as Milei seeks to secure allies' support for the 2026 budget and labor, tax, and Penal Code reforms. Jalil won the legislative elections in Catamarca on October 26 under the Peronist unity front 'Fuerza Patria' with 45% of the vote. The parliamentary week began with rumors that Catamarca's governor, Raúl Jalil, might withdraw his deputies from the Peronist bloc 'Unión por la Patria' (UP) in the Chamber of Deputies. These are the deputies who will take office on December 10: Fernando Monguillot and Claudia Palladino; and those whose mandate extends until 2027, Fernanda Ávila and Sebastián Nóblega. Afterwards, he dined with Milei and other Peronist peers in Olivos. Last Friday, he was seen again with Santilli in Mendoza, where a mining summit was being held, a sector in strong growth in Catamarca. Governor Jalil is closely watching the potential for investment in his province that would be opened by a trade agreement with the United States, which includes an item for commitments in this sector, clearly of global interest for countries seeking to develop their technology industry. In this context and after the meeting with Santiago Caputo, there could be news on where the four deputies loyal to Jalil will position themselves. Three weeks later, rumors of a possible split in several parts of UP are growing, and Jalil would be the first to take a step aside. Jalil went to the Casa Rosada at the end of October first as part of the group of 20 provincial leaders that Milei convened after the victory at the polls. There, La Libertad Avanza came in second with 34%. They could form a mini-bloc or, more scandalously, switch to the ruling party.