Following the decisive results in the legislative elections on Sunday, President Javier Milei has called a meeting with governors at the Casa Rosada for Thursday at 5:00 PM, with Ministers Luis Caputo (Economy) and Lisandro Catalán (Interior) also invited. The call has generated expectations due to its broad nature and the government's shift in tone towards provincial leaders. The implementation of the reforms proposed by the government will depend on building stable majorities and negotiating federal agreements that include the provinces. The Thursday meeting will serve to gauge Milei's maneuvering room with the new Congress and territorial demands. If he can combine a change agenda with responses to the provinces, it could relaunch his mandate; otherwise, the tension between the Nation and the provinces will manifest itself forcefully again.
According to various sources, non-Kirchnerist governors received the invitation as a positive signal of openness.
Reform Agenda and Provincial Demands
The Casa Rosada announced that the meeting will cover the labor and tax reforms that the ruling party aims to push through in the new Congress. In turn, the governors will bring their historical demands to the table: distribution of the ATN (Autonomous Targeted Funds), tax on fuels, public works, contributions to the provincial pension system, and the 2026 budget. It is interpreted that the meeting seeks to combine the national perspective for change with the territorial urgency of the provinces, which could facilitate governability for the upcoming period.
A Framework of Opportunity for Governability
Sources consulted interpret that Milei's call "enters a zone of crystallization" of political alliances that had so far remained only in discourse. The fact that Economy Minister Luis Caputo is directly involved in the provincial dialogue marks a significant gesture for many leaders who had complained that previous negotiation instances had excluded the top person responsible for national finances. Nevertheless, some provincial voices emphasize that they will attend the meeting "when they are called" but that its effectiveness will depend on prior work by technicians and the closing of concrete agreements, beyond the photo opportunity.
Challenges Ahead nThe fact that the call is seen as "positive" does not mean the path is clear.
