A surprise appearance at Casa Rosada
The third meeting between La Libertad Avanza and PRO leaders brought an unexpected development: Karina Milei, the secretary general of the presidency, took the lead. She is the figure who, a month earlier, had agreed to hold these kinds of encounters with former president Mauricio Macri. As the party's main reference after Javier Milei, she joined the gathering at Casa Rosada and asked representatives of both spaces to keep working toward an electoral agreement for 2027.[S1][S2]
The meeting again included Diego Santilli, cousins Martín and Eduardo "Lule" Menem, and Cristian Ritondo and Fernando de Andreis, envoys of the macrismo. It was another chapter of the coordination table agreed upon after the phone contact between Karina Milei and Mauricio Macri. The first encounter took place on August 13, led by Santilli, Ritondo, De Andreis and the Menem brothers, where they agreed to hold meetings every 15 days to advance both the parliamentary agenda and political and electoral matters.[S1]
Two weeks later, on August 27, they met again at Balcarce 50. On that occasion, the ruling party and the PRO reviewed the electoral landscape in different districts and moved forward in discussions about a possible common front for 2027. Differences also emerged over eliminating or suspending the PASO primaries, one of the points that still generates reservations within the macrismo, along with other issues on the legislative agenda. So far, the PRO remains inclined to let the primaries run their course next year, while Milei maintains his idea of eliminating them or, at minimum, suspending them.[S1]
Where agreements could take shape
Cristian Ritondo, upon leaving Balcarce 50, offered some definitions about which districts could see agreements between the two spaces. He mentioned Buenos Aires province and the three districts the PRO governs: Chubut, Entre Ríos and the City of Buenos Aires, as well as Misiones and La Pampa. During the last meeting they had reviewed 17 districts they did not govern and will specifically seek alliances in Misiones and La Pampa, among others. Ritondo said the most advanced district in the conversations is Buenos Aires province, and he also mentioned the three districts the PRO currently governs: Entre Ríos with governor Rogelio Frigerio, Chubut with governor Ignacio Torres, and the City of Buenos Aires under Jorge Macri.[S1][S2]
Despite the rapprochement of recent weeks and the intention to work together in 2027, some issues continue to generate unease in the relationship between the macrismo and the mileísmo. The City of Buenos Aires in particular is a territory where an eventual agreement still seems far from being closed. Karina Milei's central figure there is Pilar Ramírez, who continues to express her questions about Jorge Macri's government, most recently this past Thursday during a visit to Villa Soldati, one of the most neglected neighborhoods in the city. In the macrismo they hope the mileísmo will ultimately go along, and that Ramírez might become a possible running mate for Macri in a re-election bid.[S1]
The libertarians come from winning the last local election in 2025 with the candidacy of Manuel Adorni, now out of competition following his resignation as chief of staff, suspected of alleged corruption. In parallel, there is the national discussion. Mauricio Macri took various steps this year suggesting a possible candidacy, which faded in recent months, but in the meantime he enabled Hernán Lacunza, former economy minister of his government, to launch a bid; Lacunza is determined to be a presidential candidate next year. It appears to be a challenge to Milei's government, amid the cross negotiations.[S1]
Parliamentary agenda and the limits of the pact
According to an official statement, the meeting covered the parliamentary agenda, the draft bill the government will send to Congress regarding the Malvinas Islands, and an initiative linked to liquefied gas investments in Argentina that the LLA, PRO and other allied benches will push. The focus was on projects still under discussion in the Senate, initiatives yet to reach the lower house, and a set of agriculture-related bills. Among the topics already approved by the Chamber of Deputies are the reform of the BCRA's charter, Inocencia Fiscal II, and Zonas Frías, while the upper house is still seeking to advance on Súper RIGI, Biofuels and next week also Political Reform, though on the latter they said there was no progress.[S2]
Ritondo clarified that the official left no specific message for Macri beyond the generic recognition for the joint work they have promoted. He also said that it is Ritondo who keeps Macri informed of developments before and after the meetings held every fifteen days at Balcarce 50. Although the meeting took place hours after the debate in the Chamber of Deputies on the Disability Emergency and delinquency, that specific topic was not part of the conversation. The deputy denied that any agreement exists guaranteeing the same leaders remain in their posts after an eventual electoral pact with LLA, saying they are not that kind of agreement.[S2]
