Axel Kicillof is beginning to show increasingly clear signs of national projection in a context of erosion of Javier Milei’s government. In an interview with Tuny Kollmann on Radio 10, the Buenos Aires governor not only harshly questioned the economic direction of the ruling party, but also sought to position himself as a political alternative within Peronism, in a scenario where – according to his diagnosis – social disappointment is growing.
“Many have been disappointed with Milei and are looking for an alternative,” said Kicillof, in a phrase that summarizes both his reading of the moment and his strategy. The governor stated that, although his warnings about the impact of the adjustment are being fulfilled, the results are “tremendous” and leave no room for celebrations: “Unfortunately, even though the forecast of the forecasts we had was correct, the results are tremendous, for SMEs and for families, for the economic sectors in our province of Buenos Aires, public finances and education. There is no reason to rejoice.”
Kicillof framed Milei’s economic program within a well-known tradition. “The explanation of these economic problems always has the same results and the same justifications, with some temporary component in the case of Milei, who came to present himself as an anarcho-capitalist, as an outsider,” he noted. And he reinforced that idea by highlighting the continuity of names in the cabinet: “One sees that the Minister of Economy is Toto Caputo, Macri’s minister. Sturzenegger, the great ideologue of the Bases Law, Bullrich, there is not much new.”
In that sense, the governor pointed to the contrast between campaign promises and reality: “Milei must be disappointing several who voted for him, he is carrying out a conventional adjustment program.” And he added: “It presented an improvement, it was going to dollarize salaries and none of this happened. The government before Milei also, with that many expectations were not met.”
The criticism was not limited to the present, but included a structural look at the Argentine economy, particularly in energy matters. “We were left without our own energy and without energy self-sufficiency,” he said, while recalling that “with YPF privatized, a hole of 12 billion dollars per year was generated in the trade balance.” In contrast, he defended decisions from the recent past: “The Vaca Muerta thing was an appropriate decision for a situation that had been deteriorating due to Repsol’s management.”
Kicillof also questioned the international positioning of the national government: “Milei disdained the opportunity to become part of BRICS,” marking differences in foreign policy and strategic development.
In parallel, he began to outline his political structure. “We were in Tierra del Fuego, there was Quintela, Melella, we are working on forming a space within Peronism, which is the MDF (Right to the Future Movement),” he explained, in reference to an attempt at internal reorganization of the opposition space. There he also left definitions about the dynamics of Peronism: “There are sectors that come and go, they are not firm in their positions.”
Regarding internal affairs and leadership, he was careful but firm: “With Cristina, within Peronism we went to elections. There is the PJ thing. My answer would be that those of us who are in opposition to Milei are looking for alternatives to respond together.” And he once again supported the former president: “The pressure on CFK has always been very clear, he has a totally unjust sentence.”
Kicillof also contextualized the economic decisions of the recent past: “With the pandemic, a good part of consumption and production stopped. In all countries of the world, they resorted to supporting the economy through the State.”
Taken together, the governor’s definitions constitute something more than a current criticism: they outline a political position that aims to capitalize on discontent with the ruling party and rebuild an alternative within Peronism. With a speech that combines economic diagnosis, demand for state intervention and territorial armed forces, Kicillof is beginning to emerge as one of the leaders with the greatest projection towards the presidential race.
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by RN
