The Government has intensified its attacks on Axel Kicillof in recent days, thereby elevating him as the main opposition candidate for 2027. The contrast rhetoric coincides with the noise that began last week with a string of unfavorable economic indicators for the Casa Rosada. While the governor juggles to give solidity to his national path, but has still not publicly confirmed his candidacy — in Peronism they have always said that Kicillof shies away from the "Larreta effect" — President Javier Milei stirs up the ghost of a return to the past, followed by his officials and his propaganda apparatus on social media. On his tour of the United States, he referred to Kicillof as an "idiot" and a "Soviet dwarf." On Sunday, already back in Argentina and on LN+, he called him a "madman." Economy Minister Luis Caputo topped it off on Tuesday when he said that Kirchnerism was "hell" and called Kicillof "the Antichrist." Yesterday, in Paris, Caputo said again: "We have been in hell and, believe me, most people will never vote to return to hell."
Javier Milei in New YorkPresidency
The President reinforced his line on social media, with posts against the governor and the K universe in general. "Facing us is a group of people willing to destroy everything," Milei said on Wednesday at the IDEA Colloquium. "Next year Argentines will have to choose either the path that continues growth and can generate the greatest expansion of wealth in Argentine history; or return to the model of the past, which has been failing for 100 years," he stated. He then tried to tone it down when he said his rival is "himself," but immediately added: "What do I care about those who set us back 100 years? It's almost insulting to have to debate with a communist."
In recent hours, an important voice from Balcarce 50 acknowledged to LA NACION: "We are deepening [the criticism] a bit." "The circumstances arose," emphasized another source, from a different tribe within the ruling party. A third sought to qualify the timing and said the Government has "always" been harsh against the governor and Kirchnerism. But, in that, he emphasized that the opposition members are even "much worse" than what the Government publicly attributes to them.
In La Plata, meanwhile, they attributed the barbs to a "desperation" on the part of Milei and Caputo to lessen the political effects of the concatenation of negative indicators for the Government, except inflation (1.7% in August). On the contrary, poverty was on the rise; and unemployment, economic activity, and supermarket sales were on the decline. On Friday, the dollar reached an annual nominal high of $1,545, which led the Treasury to sell to keep it away from the top of the band. Country risk today again stood at 609 points.
"It's an act of desperation. They have to look for an excuse to justify the disaster," Kicillof's loyalists lashed out.
In the political teams of Milei-ism, there has long been a widespread feeling that Kicillof is "the ideal opponent" to face next year. "Axel has the whole past to offer; he's the best candidate," they defined in an important office. Under that vision, shared across the different libertarian factions, the Government places Kicillof on the opposite sidewalk and tries to suffocate him politically and economically. It also works on fragmenting the opposition, to weaken its electoral strength.
At the moment, Milei is in Paris, France, with the top leadership of his administration and a delegation of 13 governors, including the northern Peronists Raúl Jalil and Gustavo Sáenz. The Buenos Aires province leader, who is also trying to broaden his base of support, was not invited.
The Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, Diego Santilli; the Economy Minister, Luis Caputo; and the Foreign Minister, Pablo Quirno, along with the French Economy Minister, Roland Lescure, and Argentine governors, during the closing of the inaugural cocktail of Argentina Week in ParisPresidency
In the Casa Rosada they are convinced that contrasting with Kicillof "is the debate that is most comfortable for the Government." They also consider that there is "more people willing to vote for Milei, so that Kirchnerism loses," than people interested in voting for the opposition so that this government is not reelected.
"Axel is the 'Soviet dwarf' who wants to go backwards, with all his history, with YPF... The one who claims to be the new thing, but who harks back to the past," say ruling-party voices.
In one of the offices of Balcarce 50 they admit to LA NACION that the worst scenario for the President would be for a candidate positioned to his right to become competitive (for example, Hernán Lacunza), a Peronist with outsider tinges (like Jorge Brito), or the emergence of an unknown and charismatic politician behind whom the opposition could rally.
In La Plata they know that Milei has already chosen Kicillof as his antagonist and the governor also encourages that antithesis. "The evidence that Axel's participation in the United States was very good is made explicit by Milei's reaction," they hinted in the opposition camp. They were referring to the governor's landing in the north, in parallel with Milei, who during that visit said: "If idiots show up talking in New York, country risk goes up."
The most taunting Kicillof supporters, who celebrated the exacerbated reaction of the presidential circle against Kicillof, joked: "Caputo's market friends must be teasing him that Axel is going to beat them."
Kicillof with the mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, in New York
Peronism, however, is far from having its offer in order. On the contrary, it is going through a very high level of tension between those who back the governor and those who answer to Cristina Kirchner, who threaten with a candidacy of the former president, barred by the courts from competing. Sergio Massa is also active behind the scenes, moving his pieces to reposition himself.
In the Government, for now, they downplay Kicillof's attempts to present himself as pragmatic and to distance himself from the hard Kirchnerist line that he once not only preached but also executed at the head of the Ministry of Economy. They believe that this will not expand his voter base. "The guy is trying to strike a balance, but that role is uncomfortable for him. People don't believe it," they say in the Casa Rosada.
In La Plata they rule out that the governor will make his launch in the immediate future. "The only ones desperate to affirm and reaffirm the candidacy are Milei and company," assert voices working on Kicillof's project.
Javier MileiAxel Kicillof