Libertarian Deputy Lorena Villaverde resigned on Wednesday from her position as senator, to which she had been elected, following controversy and challenges over her ties to businessman Federico 'Fred' Machado.
'I am not going to do it,' Villaverde said in a letter addressed to President Javier Milei. She stated that this is 'a decision born out of love, responsibility, and coherence: my children come before any office, because no political ambition is worth more than their well-being.'
'For these past months, I have been the victim of obscene, malicious, and deeply media operations designed to destroy, wear down, and humiliate. And precisely for that reason, because I believe this is the only possible path for Argentina, I hereby tender my resignation from my seat as Senator for the province of Río Negro,' she wrote.
As reported by the Argentine News Agency, Villaverde had been considering remaining in her current position in the Lower Chamber until her term ended in 2027.
Villaverde denounced that 'sectors of the old regime have tried to turn my personal situation into a tool to halt the reforms, obstruct the formation of the ruling bloc in the Senate, and wear down the change project. These were not political discussions: it was a calculated act of violence against a woman, a mother, and a leader who is an inconvenience to the old politics,' she said and continued: 'To accept continuing under these conditions would be to validate the damage and put my family at risk. I joined because I believe in freedom, in merit, in hard work, and in your leadership. They are not going to use me as a pawn to stop the course that millions of Argentines chose.'
'Faced with this scenario, and true to my convictions, I want to make one thing clear: I did not get involved in this project for a seat, or a salary, or personal honors. I am not going to be part of that maneuver.'
