Three challenges Milei faces as infighting pushes LLA to boiling point

Argentina’s ruling party, La Libertad Avanza (LLA), is experiencing growing internal turbulence.  Alongside a series of corruption scandals involving senior officials, which are making some people at the top uncomfortable, a previously subdued power struggle among figures closest to President Javier Milei has now erupted into public view on social media. Over the weekend, the clashes reached boiling point after presidential advisor Santiago Caputo — one corner of Milei’s self described “iron triangle”, along with himself and his sister, Presidential Secretary Karina Milei — made a direct accusation on X against Karina Milei’s right-hand man. Caputo — second nephew of Economy Minister Luis “Toto” Caputo — accused the head of the Lower House Martín Menem of owning an X account that constantly made negative comments about him and people under his purview, and shared private information. Menem denied the accusation. Karina and the younger Caputo are the two people Milei has kept closest to him since he became president. However, almost from the start, the two have been in a battle for influence that has only grown with time — first silently, and now out in the open. President Milei remained silent about this crossfire until Tuesday, when he said that “the controversy has been prefabricated.” In an interview with Neura streaming channel he stated the account was “planted” to “create trouble” and backed both Caputo and Menem. “Santiago Caputo is like a brother to me, and Martín Menem is doing an enormous, phenomenal, extraordinary job as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. What I understand is that the press calls internal infighting what are really just differences in the way one person and another may think,” he explained.  Despite Milei’s downplaying of the controversy, the rift at the heart of La Libertad Avanza (LLA) is having real impact for the government and its future. Here are the three main problems it causes. A distraction from governing The latest public appearances made by Milei and other high-ranking officials lately tend to be centered on trying to calm the waters regarding the government’s several scandals — including this one — instead of focusing on government policy. The infighting only adds to the bigger issue the government has been facing in recent months, namely the illicit enrichment accusations against Chief of Staff Manuel Adorni, who is being investigated for allegedly purchasing properties and making expensive trips he may not be able to justify with his declared income. The scandal took over the news for the past two months and was only just starting to subside. Adorni has said he has not committed any crimes and Milei publicly defended him, saying he will prove his innocence soon. Milei’s popularity The array of scandals, on top of the worsening economic situation for working-class Argentines, appear to be taking a large toll on the government’s popularity and approval numbers. According to recent polls, Milei’s popularity has dropped to around 35%, and his negative image is among the worst figures since he became president. A recent study by Zuban Córdoba consultant agency showed that 64% of people do not approve of the libertarian government, a figure that has grown by 15 percentage points since December. Trust in his administration fell by 12% in April, a month in which the public spotlight was put on the judicial investigation against Adorni, according to a poll by Torcuato Di Tella University. Elections All this could impact Milei’s chances of being reelected. Argentina will vote for a new president in 2027, and Milei has already stated he intends to run. However, the internal conflict and the corruption scandals — including one involving alleged bribes taken by Karina Milei and the investigation into crypto fraud $LIBRA — may compromise his performance. According to the Zuban Córdoba poll, 57% of people said they would not vote for Milei in the 2027 presidential election. Peronist Axel Kicillof, governor of Buenos Aires province, is the candidate with the highest vote intention with 44%, the same study said. In the midst of all this, Milei’s alliances with some key sectors may be crumbling.  LLA senator and former security minister Patricia Bullrich was the only member of Milei’s inner circle to publicly confront Adorni, demanding that he “immediately” file his declared assets statement to avoid the allegations escalating. Bullrich has a strong supporter base, and she may be the one to challenge Milei’s leadership in 2027, although she has made no announcement in that direction.  She was formerly part of center-right PRO party, which has been LLA’s biggest ally in Congress and in last year’s legislative elections. However, PRO’s support could no longer be assured for Milei next year. In a recent statement, the party led by Mauricio Macri distanced itself from LLA, saying they would “not applaud” wrongdoing within the government, without naming any names.  Only time will tell how this shift in PRO’s stance will affect Milei’s chances of staying in power.