The governor of Buenos Aires Province, Axel Kicilloff, stated that President Javier Milei “wants to turn Argentina into Peru, where there is no middle class,” and described his economic course as “capricious, dogmatic, and destructive.” The provincial leader asserted that “this is what we are seeing at the helm of the Argentine economy,” and argued that the model promoted by the ruling party represents a regression to a primary sector scheme. “They criticize Peronism for being old, but what they propose is to return to the agro-export model,” Kicilloff affirmed. He emphasized that the current international context is “protectionist and industrialist,” whereas, in his view, Argentina is moving in the opposite direction. “The difference with most Latin American countries was that here there was a middle class. The problem is that Milei is swimming against the current,” he graphically depicted, and launched an irony: “Buddy, if you want to take us to the Conquest of the Desert…,” questioning what he considers an anachronistic view of productive development. The governor also targeted the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, in statements to the Cenital media outlet accessed by the Argentine News Agency. He considered it “outrageous” that Caputo “has never worn Argentine clothing” and asked him to “dedicate himself to making the national industry efficient and cheap” instead of criticizing it. Additionally, he warned about what he defined as a “plan for the extermination of the national industry” and questioned the official reaction to the closure of companies like FATE. According to him, a situation like that “should provoke a reaction to prevent it,” but he denounced that, on the contrary, “it is celebrated.” Finally, Kicilloff insisted that the main risk of the current economic course is the deterioration of Argentina’s social structure. “That is what is at stake,” he concluded.
