At the Casa Rosada, they are watching the calendar and are aware that less than seven weeks remain until the end of the year, which means that, as the days go by, the margin for error to push forward the reforms they seek to promote before the start of the legislative recess and the beginning of the electoral season will grow ever smaller.
"We have to shift into high gear and speed up certain negotiations," one of the Casa Rosada's political operators admits to Infobae. The reference is to the Political Reform and the 2027 Budget, which, while they address different matters, are closely intertwined when it comes to negotiations and affect both the Nation and the provinces: the former in everything related to the elections; the latter in relation to the funds that will be available next year, when the President, the governors, and the national and provincial legislators will seek to hold on to power.
In that context, Javier Milei expressly asked his political officials to secure the passage of both initiatives. So far, neither has obtained a committee report in its chamber of origin, but, following the visit of Pope Leo XIV, the ruling party made decisions to accelerate the handling of those bills.
Chief of Staff Diego Santilli instructed national senator Agustín Coto to convene a meeting of the Constitutional Affairs Committee in order to obtain a report on the political reform, which is aimed at the elimination or susp…
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Eduardo "Lule" Menem, Diego Santilli, Ignacio Devitt and Martín Menem
At the Casa Rosada they are looking at the calendar and are aware that less than seven weeks remain until the end of the year, which means that, as the days go by, the margin for error to push forward the reforms they seek to promote before the start of the legislative recess and the beginning of the electoral season will shrink more and more. "We have to shift into fifth gear and speed up certain negotiations," one of the Casa Rosada's political operators admits to Infobae. The reference is to the Political Reform and the 2027 Budget, which, while they deal with different matters, are intimately linked when it comes to negotiations and affect both the Nation and the provinces: the former, in everything related to the elections; the latter, in relation to the funds that will be available next year, when the President, the governors, and the national and provincial legislators will seek to hold on to power.
In that context, Javier Milei expressly asked his political officials to get both initiatives passed. For the moment, neither has obtained a committee report in its chamber of origin, but, after the visit of Pope Leo XIV, the ruling party made decisions to speed up the handling of those bills. Chief of Staff Diego Santilli instructed national senator Agustín Coto to convene a meeting of the Constitutional Affairs Committee to seek a report on the political reform, which aims at the elimination or suspension of the Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory Primaries (PASO), in addition to a major reform of articles of the Political Parties system legislation.
Diego Santilli, Chief of Staff
In the ruling party's bloc in the Upper Chamber they are skeptical that the Casa Rosada has the votes, but they believe this call is being made to pressure the governors into making a decision and joining the ruling party in the negotiations that have already begun. "There is not much time left, and that also motivates us to make the call," they acknowledge from the Executive Branch. "With the closest governors things are already discussed: first we make a pact with our friends, then with those we still need to reach an agreement with."
What has become publicly known are agreements linked to specific funds in the 2027 Budget and to transfers regarding debts the Nation has with several provinces, in addition to the National Treasury Contributions (ATN). That, warn the ruling party's negotiators, is only the superficial aspect. The material being discussed has not come to light, but it is more interesting: "At the underground level they are already talking about who gets the first senator, who gets the second spot on the list of Deputies, with whom a parallel list gets enabled, and all those topics," they state. Among those in charge of negotiating, the most willing to give in on this point is Santilli. The national vice president of La Libertad Avanza, Martín Menem, and its national organizer, Eduardo "Lule" Menem, are tougher in their demands.
Martín Menem enters the Casa Rosada for a new Cabinet meeting
For the moment, no new in-person meetings with governors are planned in Buenos Aires, although that does not mean they will not take place next week. In fact, it is confirmed that Santilli and the youngest of the Menems will travel to the Sustainable Mining Summit to be held in Mendoza. There they will be joined by the host Alfredo Cornejo, Marcelo Orrego (San Juan), Gustavo Sáenz (Salta), Carlos Sadir (Jujuy) and Raúl Jalil (Catamarca), the leaders of the main mining provinces, which are direct beneficiaries of the RIGI investments.
The government's acceleration regarding the political reform is happening, at the same time, because more and more governors are willing to sign the calls for their own provincial elections. Days ago it became known that Neuquén will be the first province to vote. Governor Rolando Figueroa called elections for February 14, 2027 through decree 1860/2026, published on November 9. On that occasion, governor, vice governor, 35 provincial legislators, mayors and councilors in 13 municipalities will be elected. In this regard, Infobae was able to learn that the decision did not sit well with La Libertad Avanza's political leaders: "He took advantage of the Pope's visit to call elections within three months. There is no time left at all."
Rolando Figueroa, governor of Neuquén
Almost a year away from the presidential elections, scheduled for October 24, 2027, the provinces' electoral map is beginning to take shape, although with few formal definitions. Of the 22 districts that will renew their Executive Branch next year (all except Corrientes and Santiago del Estero, plus the City of Buenos Aires), only two have officially set the date of their elections by decree. The first to sign was Tucumán: Osvaldo Jaldo set May 9 as the date to renew the governorship, legislators, mayors and councilors.
On the list of those that have already announced a date but still without a decree, Santa Fe stands out, where Maximiliano Pullaro confirmed that the province will keep the PASO on April 18 and that the general elections will be on June 13, although the formal call would only be signed toward the end of the year. Meanwhile, Salta is heading toward voting in mid-May (the 16th or the 23rd) and its decree would be imminent. On the opposite side, Catamarca announced that it will vote together with the Nation on October 24, and in La Rioja the same is taken almost as a given. Another group of provinces has already confirmed that it will break away from the national calendar, although it has not yet chosen the day. Such is the case of Río Negro, which is aiming for March; Chubut, for its part, is negotiating with its Patagonian neighbors a date in August; Misiones is evaluating April or May. In Tierra del Fuego, the provincial constitution requires voting on a date different from the national one.
President Javier Milei in Paris at a meeting with allied governors
The districts with the greatest electoral weight still have no definitions: in Córdoba, Martín Llaryora is evaluating options between March and May. In the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof's decision depends on what happens with the PASO, which by law are tied to the national calendar, and nothing is expected before March. In the City, Jorge Macri is evaluating voting together with the presidential election. Meanwhile, Mendoza, Entre Ríos, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz and Formosa have not set a date either. There are provinces such as La Pampa that are waiting to see what happens with the handling of the PASO at the national level: "When that is defined, we will see." Several governors are awaiting that outcome before moving their pieces, so the calendar could be completed in the coming weeks.