The AntioperetaK account viralized a fragment of a speech given by the president on social networks Javier Milei which was shared two months ago by the digital portal DNews on his YouTube channel. In the sequence, uploaded by the news channel, the president referred to the provincial legislative elections that were looming in Buenos Aires territory on Sunday, September 7.
“This election is fundamental, not only in the province of Buenos Aires, it will be fundamental for all good Argentines because it could mean the end of the Kirchnerism. Here there is something that is very important to note, in this provincial election they are carrying out the farce and moral fraud that is the testimonial candidacies,” said the head of state in the recording recorded on August 5.
“The mayors are coming out to play with the entire apparatus and willing to commit fraud. In addition, they vote with a different electoral system, which enables fraud. Therefore, this election is important because it will mean the ceiling of Kirchnerism and, for us, it will mean the floor,” Milei remarked from the lectern at the meeting of the Faro Foundation.
As the libertarian leader pointed out, testimonial candidacies were registered in Peronism for the Buenos Aires legislative election. The resonant case was that of the mayor of La Matanza, Fernando Espinozawho ran as a candidate for councilor of the municipality he governs. The results at the polls favored the provincial ruling party made up of the Fuerza Patria coalition, formed mainly by the Justicialista Party, which obtained 47% of the votes, followed by Javier Milei’s La Libertad Avanza with 33%.
The fish dies through the mouth, the saying goes. After the triumph of Diego Santilli, heading the libertarian list, in the national legislative elections of October 26 in the territory of Axel Kicillof and the strong performance of the LLA at the national level, obtaining first place with 40.7%, followed by Peronism, which only reached 34.9%, the national government opted for a renewal of the cabinet of ministers.
What few assumed was that the candidates who won in the legislative elections would occupy the ministerial positions of the Executive Branch. In less than 72 hours, President Javier Milei appointed the presidential spokesperson and elected Buenos Aires legislator Manuel Adorni, as the new Chief of Staff after the untimely resignation of Guillermo Francos. Yesterday, the libertarian president filled the vacancy in the Ministry of the Interior, which was occupied Lisandro Catalán, with the winner of the national legislative elections in the province of Buenos Aires last week, Diego Santilli.
Unlike Peronism, which whitewashed the use of testimonial candidacies for the elections that were going to take place with public nominations, the ruling party ended up using the future legislators who obtained the seats for positions in the Mileista government. Both Adorni and Santilli will not take office in their respective parliaments.
In recent times, testimonial candidacies have ceased to be a rarity and have become a visible and repeated tactic in Argentine legislative elections. With roots in parliamentary practices in 2009 and a sustained reappearance in 2017 and 2025, their use poses a democratic dilemma between the instrumental logic of the parties and the citizen expectation of direct representation.
Although the public and media discussion moved towards the demand for clearer rules, until now it has not managed to completely deactivate a practice that is almost institutionalized in the main political coalitions.
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