In a historic vote, President Javier Milei exclaimed triumphantly from his libertarian bunker: «We want to invite the majority of governors who will have parliamentary representation to discuss these agreements together. Now we can translate the slogans of the May Pact into laws». In line with this, the head of state took the lead in negotiations and summoned fifteen governors to the Casa Rosada at 5:00 PM. According to internal sources from the Casa Rosada told to El Cronista, the topics for discussion are varied, but there is no official agenda; what is ultimately desired is the photo opportunity. This is the case for Osvaldo Jaldo in Tucumán and Gerardo Zamora in Santiago del Estero. From within Zamora's circle, they avoided answering whether they would respond to the president's call, but assured that «(the governor) is a person of deep convictions and also very respectful of the institutions». In Río Negro, voices close to Alberto Weretilneck, who also came in third in the province, showed themselves to be open but cautious to the call. Additionally, there are rumors of a cabinet shuffle being cooked up behind the scenes. Voices close to this ministry wanted to emphasize in conversation with this medium that the organization of the meeting with the governors was the work of Lisandro Catalán. The governors confirmed by El Cronista are the Head of Government Jorge Macri (Autonomous City of Buenos Aires) and the governors Osvaldo Jaldo (Tucumán), Raúl Jalil (Catamarca), Leandro Zdero (Chaco), Ignacio Torres (Chubut), Martín Llaryora (Córdoba), Gustavo Valdés (Corrientes), Rogelio Frigerio (Entre Ríos), Carlos Sadir (Jujuy), Claudio Vidal (Santa Cruz), Hugo Passalacqua (Misiones), Alberto Weretilneck (Río Negro), Gustavo Sáenz (Salta), Marcelo Orrego (San Juan), Claudio Poggi (San Luis), Maximiliano Pullaro (Santa Fe), Sergio Ziliotto (La Pampa) and Gerardo Zamora (Santiago del Estero). On the other hand, due to scheduled trips by the provincial governors, the Vice Governor of Mendoza Hebe Casado will attend representing Alfredo Cornejo, and the same will happen with Rolando Figuera from Neuquén. What do the governors want? «United Provinces,» the alliance of governors that failed to achieve its national goal, has been blurred after the elections. «No one who has won a midterm election has a guaranteed two-year path unless they do things right,» sources from Santa Fe Governor Maximiliano Pullaro's entourage told El Cronista. It is in the National Congress where they hope to establish a national political position, by discussing Milei's desired reforms topic by topic. «Throughout the campaign, we stressed the need for dialogue and building consensus,» they recalled from the «United for Change Santa Fe» administration. In this sense, they assured it is «a great opportunity to discuss and reach agreements that allow for a labor; tax; pension; Penal Code reform; among many others that Argentines need». Federal Meeting Meeting at the Rosada: What do the governors want in exchange for supporting Milei? Amparo Beraza Defeat and crisis: Governor Vidal puts his entire cabinet on the line after coming in third Amparo Beraza Afterwards, upon learning of the call, the governor came out to speak officially and assured he would accompany «everything they understand is right». «We are going to accompany all the reforms that we believe need to be carried out. This represents an unprecedented drop in the Front of Renewal for Concordance (FRC) in the 20 years it has been in power. The one who did end up above the libertarians was Orrego in San Juan, who came in second behind Patriotic Force, although the seats were split, one for each party. Needless to say, after the election results, most governors have no option but to negotiate. Beyond the criticisms he has of Milei's government, he always seeks what is best for Santa Cruz, so dialogue with the Nation is always open,» they had told El Cronista. Among the main points they will continue to demand from the Nation are the works the province needs, the owed resources, and for Yacimientos Carboníferos Río Turbio (YCRT). On the other hand, other «dialogue» governors who might be «more expensive» for Javier Milei are those who consolidated their victories in their provinces. «We are pleased to know that in many provinces the second force was not kirchnerism, but the provincial ruling party». Changes Milei advances with the definition of his new cabinet and ratifies Francos: who is sounding to enter Daniela Romero UNO Quirno debuted as chancellor and aligned Argentina with the USA. Initially, the meeting was to be headed by the Federal Mesa, made up of Milei and Chief of Staff Guillermo Francos; the Minister of the Interior, Lisandro Catalán; and the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo. This medium was also able to confirm that Federico Sturzenegger, of Deregulation, and Sandra Pettovello, of Human Capital, will be added; two key officials in the reforms that will star the parliamentary agenda. It is expected that the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei; the Minister of Health, Mario Lugones; Mariano Cúneo Libarona, of Justice; Patricia Bullrich, of Security; and Luis Petri, of Defense, will also attend. The President had already stated that he would negotiate with the second forces at the national level that respond to the governors. In the case of Claudio Poggi, of San Luis, he is a staunch ally of the government who declined to participate in the legislative elections to play along with Milei. In Misiones, the officialist front of Carlos Rovira came in second behind the libertarians; this is a trend seen in this year's provincial elections and grew in the national ones. The paralysis of the distribution of ATNs, public works, and coparticipable funds leaves provincial coffers practically empty. The federal demands seem to have returned to 2024, when the governors, for electoral consensus, decided to support libertarian reforms in Congress. After the election defeat, the governors will concentrate their demands and open up to dialogue. «If it doesn't change, we will continue the same,» they warned. As for the relationship with the president, the governors know there is an institutional level that will be maintained. «At the time, Alberto said he would only attend a general call, not one of a few,» they asserted. From provinces like San Luis, San Juan, and Chubut they have remained silent in the face of El Cronista's question. «Employment has to be generated,» he affirmed. On the other side, in Chubut, Governor Ignacio «Nacho» Torres lost the elections overwhelmingly and was left without representation in the National Congress. Qualified sources told El Cronista that prior to the meeting, the governor will meet with oil union workers with Minister of Economy Luis «Toto» Caputo for «hydrocarbon issues». Sources close to the Santa Cruzan, Claudio Vidal, assured this medium that he will continue in line with his «search for consensus» and «openness to dialogue». Even so, he is not on the Casa Rosada list for next Thursday, this medium consulted the reasons and has not yet received a response. «He has always had a good relationship with Guillermo Francos, in fact, he defended him when he was attacked in Congress,» they said. As El Cronista was able to confirm, the rest of the Cabinet will also be present at the meeting. The call was extended in recent hours to the rest of the ministers due to the magnitude of the event. Amidst an internal struggle for the Chief of Staff, Javier Milei began his plan to get closer to the provincial houses and there will be a meeting today with 20 governors at the Casa Rosada. There, each governor will make the decision they deem convenient for their province and there may be differences among those who make up United Provinces. The autonomy of each governor will continue to exist in their individual dealings with the Casa Rosada and their possibilities for public works and funds. «If he does things right, we are going to accompany him,» a provincial voice from United Provinces in Córdoba assured this medium. Among those things the government will have to «do well,» are incorporating productive issues and federal interests. In any case, if there is a paramount topic that will be put on the table, they assure, it will be the 2026 Budget. In this sense, this is happening within the framework of the internal struggle being woven at the Casa Rosada, the fight between advisor Santiago Caputo and Chief of Staff Guillermo Francos and his Minister of the Interior Lisandro Catalán. «One has to see the conditions under which a hypothetical call would take place. Labor reform and tax reform,» Pullaro highlighted in statements to the press. In this sense, he stated that the current tax burden must cease to exist and maintained that labor reform is necessary not only to strengthen SMEs but also «for workers».
