The first meeting between Alberto Fernández and Javier Milei
In Argentina, the transition officially begins with the first meeting between Alberto Fernández and Javier Milei, amid enormous expectations in the southern nation.
The President-elect, Javier Milei, met with Alberto Fernández on Tuesday, November 21, at the Quinta de Olivos to officially start the institutional transition after Sunday’s runoff.
The Alberto Fernández-Javier Milei meeting took place, marking the beginning of a change process in Argentina, and the eyes of the world are focused on this nation.
The President-elect departed from the Hotel Libertador at 7:32 en route to Olivos and entered the presidential residence at 8:17. Around 9:20, the government released an official statement about the meeting.
“The President of the Nation, Dr. Alberto Fernández, met this morning with the President-elect Dr. Javier Milei, who will assume his constitutional functions at the head of the National Executive Power as of December 10.
The meeting took place at the Olivos presidential residence to initiate the institutional transition process between the teams appointed by both in different areas of government,” the press release stated.
Also read: Technical Tie: Presidential Elections in Argentina.
First meeting between Alberto Fernández and Javier Milei: Future ministers
The Alberto Fernández-Javier Milei meeting concluded a little over two hours after it began, around 10:30.
“There was a review of state matters. There was no request for any particular issue. A review of the international agenda was conducted, and it was agreed to start the transition teams with liaisons in all areas. It was friendly, respectful, and institutional,” government sources said.
According to sources at Casa Rosada, the meeting between Javier Milei and Alberto Fernández was finalized on Monday afternoon between Nicolás Posse, the future libertarian Chief of Staff, and the current Vice Chief of Staff, Juan Manuel Olmos.
During his journey to Olivos, the car carrying the President-elect made a stop in the Núñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires, causing uncertainty. The stop was for Nicolás Posse to join the trip, who would be the Chief of Staff. The future official got into the same car in which Milei was traveling.
Fernández and Milei had a brief telephone conversation on Sunday, facilitated by Deputy Eduardo Valdés and Guillermo Francos, the future Minister of the Interior, which had fueled the possibility of a face-to-face meeting on Monday, but that did not happen.
Javier Milei was elected president on Sunday, winning by almost 11 points over Sergio Massa. With a strong electoral performance in the interior of the country, especially in the provinces of Mendoza (71% of the votes) and Córdoba (74%), the economist won the vote much more comfortably than the polls had predicted in the days leading up to the election.
In a radio interview with journalist Eduardo Feinman on Mitre radio, Milei stated that both Florencio Randazzo and Luis “Toto” Caputo “will be part of the team.”
He also praised Federico Sturzenegger, the economist who led the Central Bank during Mauricio Macri’s administration, whose name is being considered for the Ministry of Economy.
In this line, he also added the name of another economist linked to PRO (Propuesta Republicana, a political party in Argentina): Luciano Laspina, saying, “He is someone I could talk to.”
On Tuesday, another name for the future Cabinet was confirmed: Guillermo Ferraro will be the Minister of Infrastructure, responsible for five key areas of management: Transport, Public Works, Mining, Energy, and Communications.
