Patricia Bullrich managed to impose her number two, Alejandra Monteoliva, as the new Minister of Security. The decision was made by Javier Milei himself after the senator-elect expressly asked him to maintain the continuity of his management. Government sources confirmed that Bullrich called the President after his victory in CABA and demanded that his Secretary of National Security take over the ministry. Monteoliva, who has been with Bullrich for a decade, guarantees that the “Bullrich doctrine” will remain intact: a strong hand, depoliticization of the forces and zero tolerance for crime.
At the same time, Luis Petri failed in his attempt to leave Defense to his cousin Gustavo Cairo, a provincial deputy from Mendoza and a man of extreme trust. As revealed by La Política Online, that was plan A of the outgoing minister, who was also considering his chief of staff, Luciana Carrasco. However, Karina Milei intervened directly and closed the agreement with the military leadership to impose the head of the Army, Lieutenant General Carlos Presti, as minister for the first time in democracy since 1983.
Karina’s bond with Presti was consolidated through gestures such as presidential custody with Granaderos a Caballo and negotiations to contain military unrest over the cuts. “It is 100% Karina,” they admitted in the military environment. Thus, while Bullrich will maintain remote control of Security from the Senate, Petri is left without influence in Defense and his cousin Cairo is out of the Cabinet. The contrast shows who weighs more at Milei’s small table.
“There is no room to say no to Patricia after scoring 50 points in Capital,” admitted a leader with access to the presidential office. In exchange, Bullrich promised to preside over the LLA bloc in the upper house and to maintain a hard line on security. In Defense, on the other hand, Petri was not even invited to that table: Karina had already closed days before with Presti and the rest of the leadership, and the man from Mendoza found out through official announcements that his cousin Cairo and his chief of staff were permanently left out.
