Exactly 27 days have passed since that night in which Javier Milei and Mauricio Macri, Patricia Bullrich in between, met at a summit that ended up marking a before and after in national political life. In that head-to-head, the electoral agreement between the hard PRO and La Libertad Avanza was closed, which ended up leading to a resounding victory in the runoff of the 19th.
On the 21st floor of the Hotel Libertador, Milei's bunker in the final stretch of the campaign, as soon as the speech of the libertarian, already elected president, was over, his new partners entered to greet him: Macri and Bullrich, but also other important referents such as Fernando de Andreis and Hernán Lombardi.
The former president arrived at the meeting accompanied by his wife Juliana Awada and his private secretary Darío Nieto, while along with Milei, as seen in photos and videos, were his sister Karina and his advisor Santiago Caputo. There were 40 minutes of dialogue, congratulations and the gratitude of the libertarian for what he considered a "patriotic gesture" by Macri and Bullrich.
There was also plenty of laughter at a specific moment: when they saw on TV what Sergio Massa's speech had been, earlier, and the long faces of the Kirchnerist officials who accompanied him on stage.
There was an agreement, in line with what was decided in the talk on October 24. Starting on Monday (that is, today) there will be talk of possibilities for positions and distribution of areas, partly as a reward for what was an enormous task of oversight on the part of the PRO, but also because of the imperative need of the libertarians to add hands to help in the new stage, especially in the second and third lines.
Mauricio Macri, big winner of the rapprochement with Milei. Photo: Federico López Claro.
The Macrists who dream of running for office
There are a number of names of PRO leaders circulating as possible candidates for positions in the new Milei government. Although there has not yet been a formal agreement and the economist himself has already begun to confirm different positions, such as Mariano Cúneo Libarona in Justice or Carolina Píparo in ANSeS, between now and Friday it will be defined how the party will adapt to the libertarian structure.
The first name that gained traction on Sunday night was that of De Andreis, former secretary of the presidency and Macri's right-hand man. He would be the interlocutor between both spaces in the assembly of that future cabinet, but with some chance of occupying a formal position. On the other hand, that role is occupied by Nicolás Posse, the point guard of Milei's teams and who is the one who in fact has delegated any extra-party negotiations.
The figure of Bullrich, naturally, also sounds like a candidate for important positions, especially in areas such as Security and Justice. Milei considers Patricia almost a heroine; He appreciates in extremis his decision to support him after getting 24% and having been left out of the second round.
The head of the PRO feels a hint of contradiction at this time: on the one hand, she is extremely happy to have joined the campaign of Milei, whom she values as a person; but at the same time she believes that her chance of being president of the Nation was concrete and that with a more oiled strategy in the general elections she could have reached a second round that, discount, I would have won.
"If we take a chance, now we have to help form this government. We sent the people to vote and they did, only1.5% voted blank," is the thought of Bullrich, who believes that the PRO has to fill Milei's teams with first, second and third lines.
On this path, those who sound like they are for important positions are Federico Sturzenegger, Luis Caputo and Guillermo Dietrich, among others, for the whole package of areas linked to the economy. Lombardi, another with an affectionate relationship with Milei, seems a very attractive name to coordinate what is expected to be a transition in the still public media, such as Télam, Radio Nacional and Public TV.
Luis Petri is another of those who is projected with possible positions, especially in the area of Justice and Security. Both Bullrich and Victoria Villarruel, in charge of managing the teams in that area, believe that the Mendoza native can add from there. Cristian Ritondo is the winner in this rapprochement with Milei, but his place seems secure in the Chamber of Deputies, where he could dispute the presidency with another Macrist soldier with Peronist roots, Miguel Ángel Pichetto
In addition, a Macri bishop like Darío Nieto feels more comfortable in positions in the City, in a potential cabinet of Jorge Macri, or in his role as a legislator, than returning to the Rosada again to a place where his political boss would not be present on a daily basis.
Larreta, contacted by Massism and Mileism in recent weeks. Photo: Enrique García Medina.
"Horacio, phone, Javier is calling you"
There are those who believe that the reconversion of the PRO within mileismo could include those soldiers who were wounded in the electoral battle, such as Horacio Rodríguez Larreta or María Eugenia Vidal.
According to Clarín, the mayor of Buenos Aires, who rejected any invitation to be part of the now failed government of Sergio Massa, also exchanged suggestive messages with Nicolás Posse, the potential chief of staff of the Mileistas. The president-elect, speaking in his post-victory speech, summoned "all those who think differently," in what some interpreted as a message addressed to Larreta.
Although in talks with his entourage he dismisses the chances of joining the team of who was his main detractor in the campaign, Larreta knows that the scenario of an internal line of the PRO together with Vidal seems to be blurring with Macri and Bullrich emerging as victors from that contest.
For this reason, no one dares to dismiss the possibility that if there is a call for unity within the party, in alliance with the libertarians, both can be incorporated from somewhere, perhaps later. Despite all the crossed wounds, there are those who say that Macri's affection for Vidal and Larreta continues to exist and that perhaps there is still time to revive it.
