The Government of Javier Milei began to turn the knob of the second stage and the noise that is heard is not only that of the reforms, but that of the chairs that move. In the Casa Rosada they know that the cabinet was short of air and that it needs to be oxygenated. The October legislative elections marked the turning point. Now comes the move of several names that, between candidates and attrition, leave gaps on the board.
The first to sign up in the starting line was Patricia Bullrich. She leaves the Ministry of Security because she heads the list of senators for the City of Buenos Aires and, if everything goes according to plan, she would assume her seat as senator on December 10. In those around him they say that “he completed the cycle” and in La Rosada they confirm it with a certain irony: “Patricia is leaving to return.” Her time in Security was an overloaded version of herself: heavy-handed protocols, barricade speeches and a constant presence in the media.
The other one who packed his roles without drama was Luis Petri. His management in Defense had a low profile and fiscal discipline, two virtues that Milei values more than the epic. He was a candidate without fanfare, compliant and prudent. In the ministry they will remember him more for the forms than for the ideas. He goes to the Chamber of Deputies representing the province of Mendoza, with the promise of “continuing to support the project of change”, a formula that in Balcarce 50 sounds like a long-winded farewell.
Manuel Adorni, the presidential spokesperson, leaves the Communication Secretariat to take over his Buenos Aires bank. In his two years as spokesperson, he achieved something rare: being more of a protagonist than the news. His style of tweeting with a microphone—a mix of sarcasm, slogans, and self-praise—generated more clips than consensus. In La Rosada they admit that their departure serves to oxygenate.
The case of Gerardo Werthein, the chancellor who lasted less than expected, has a different tone. A businessman and improvised diplomat, he arrived with the idea of bringing Milei closer to the United States. He left when he understood that the Foreign Ministry did not respond to the traditional map of power. In the libertarian environment they assure that Werthein became exhausted with the lack of coordination and with the emergence of an actor who is no longer hiding: Santiago Caputo, the advisor who pulls the strings of the Government from the shadows. His replacement comes from the Caputista wing (of Toto): Pablo Quirno who until now served as Secretary of Finance.
The other minister who already has a departure date is Mariano Cúneo Libarona, who has already asked that he would like to be the one who sends the lists of appointments of judges to the Senate so that he can, at least, take the extra money. There are 191 documents that are stuck in the Executive Branch due to lack of management.
In this reorganization, the name that grows the most is that of Santiago Caputo, it is not known if self-propelled or with a hint of reality. Milei listens to him, quotes him and respects him. With that influence, decisions become more vertical and less institutional. The movements also reach Guillermo Francos, the chief of staff who was targeted. He was the man of dialogue, the one in charge of building bridges with the governors. But badly hit in recent months by the inmates.
The replacement is not only of names, but of method. The Milei that entered the Government with a speech of controlled chaos today seeks surgical precision and a word that it hates: consensus. The United States asks for it. Political agreements, governance and reforms. That is, negotiate and try to combine your economic plan with politics.
In Olivos – or in La Rosada, depending on the day – Milei repeats that the Government must now align itself with the final objective: the reforms. His people nod. Outside, the noise grows. And the question is whether the new cabinet that promises order will not end up being a smaller version of the same: a concentrated government, with fewer voices and more obedience.
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