After last night’s victory, La Libertad Avanza (LLA) consolidated its power with 41% of the votes and presence in all 24 districts for the first time. At the Hotel Libertador, before euphoric militants and cameras on, Javier Milei celebrated the victory and surprised by highlighting María Ibarzábal Murphy as “the legal brain” behind the success. Until then a reserved figure, Ibarzábal was focused on by the cameras amid the applause, marking her public emergence. Milei also praised Karina Milei and Santiago Caputo as “the architects of the miracle,” in a nod to internal unity.
Lawyer and ally of Caputo, Ibarzábal joined the libertarian team in 2024 at the direct invitation of the presidential advisor. Wife of her best friend, she left a guaranteed promotion as a partner in the Cassagne studio—a reference in privatizations—to join LLA. Previously, she had stood out at Richards, Cardinal, Tützer, Zabala & Zaefferer, specializing in foreign investments, and worked in Macrismo: in the Treasury Attorney General under Saravia Frías and in the Ministry of Agriculture in 2016. With a master’s degree in Administrative Law, her technical profile made her a natural bridge between the PRO and the libertarian ruling party.
In April 2024, she became Secretary of Regulatory Strategic Planning, a position created especially for her. On October 26, she was promoted to Legal and Technical Secretary, replacing Dante Herrera Bravo. He participated in the drafting of the Base Law, the reform of ARCA, the DNU agreed with the IMF and the Single Paper Ballot, key instruments in the electoral strategy that was developed without challenges. In the Senate, as the only woman to defend the reduced version of the Base Law, she stated: “The relationship between the State and individuals cannot be governed by parameters from the last century,” alluding to the need to modernize procedures and attract investments.
Her closeness with Caputo places her in the hard core of libertarian power, where she shares the small table with Karina Milei. In a government dominated by economists and advisors, Ibarzábal consolidates himself as the president’s legal shield. Her mention in the bunker not only consecrates her as a key figure of the ruling party, but also anticipates her growing influence in the future of LLA.
