31/07/2026 15:15 - Politica
On July 31, 2026, Argentina’s Chief of Cabinet, Diego Santilli, publicly called for Vice President Victoria Villarruel to resign, marking one of the most severe institutional tensions since President Javier Milei took office.
Santilli’s demand came after a series of messages posted by Villarruel on the social network X (formerly Twitter), where she expressed “genuine concern” about the president’s condition and what she called “imaginary persecutions that he replicates in Argentina and abroad.”
The Vice President and Senate President posted a thread on X responding to a message that linked her comments to libertarian deputy Lilia Lemoine, who had accused Villarruel of being part of an alleged political maneuver against Milei alongside Peronist leaders.
Villarruel responded forcefully:
“I am deeply concerned that the President of the Nation replicates nonsense and fabrications. I have genuine concern for his state and for the imaginary persecutions he replicates in Argentina and abroad.”
“The President of the Nation cannot have tweeted such stupidity.”
She also challenged the President: “If that’s the case, show all the evidence of these claims invented by a microbe brain, Bolukalo” – a reference to Lemoine’s alternative surname.
In a radio interview with Mitre, Santilli was blunt, becoming the first high-ranking official to directly respond to Villarruel:
“I think it’s barbaric, nonsense, a lack of common sense. And especially against a president who took over a devastated country. It’s a lack of respect, and insults unbecoming of someone who accompanied the President on the ticket.”
“If she doesn’t agree, she should step aside. What’s the reason for being in a place where you believe you shouldn’t be? Let her build her own project and compete.”
Santilli accused the Vice President of “always putting a spoke in the wheel” and not understanding why, instead of supporting the government, she acts against it.
The institutional weight of the demand lies in the fact that Villarruel was elected by popular vote as Milei’s running mate in the presidential election. She is not an appointed official, so the request for resignation from the Chief of Staff – the most important figure in the executive structure – carries extraordinary institutional significance.
In another part of the interview, Santilli defended the five key points of the reform of the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) charter announced by Milei on July 30, 2026 in a national broadcast:
| Point | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Single Mission | Preserve the value of the currency |
| 2. Prohibition of Financing | No financing to the Treasury, provinces, or municipalities |
| 3. Elimination of Non-Transferable Notes | End of covert issuance mechanism |
| 4. Institutional Shield | Removal requires 2/3 majority in both chambers |
| 5. Fiscal Shackle | Automatic shutdown for sustained deficit |
Santilli explained that the “fiscal shackle” means that if for several months the accounts show a deficit and Congress fails to restore balance, salaries of legislators, ministers, secretaries, undersecretaries, and the President himself would be suspended.
“Let the imbalance be paid by politicians, not by the citizens,” he stated.
The conflict occurs amid several simultaneous tensions:
Alfredo S. Quiroga
