Santilli sworn in as interior minister ahead of reform negotiations

Diego Santilli was sworn in as interior minister during a short ceremony on Tuesday. It comes ahead of the expected beginning of negotiations with governors and lawmakers to gather support for President Javier Milei’s legislative agenda, from labor and tax reforms to the 2026 budget proposal. Santilli renewed his lower house seat in the October midterms, running as the leading candidate of the La Libertad Avanza (LLA)-PRO alliance. Santilli is technically a member of PRO and had to resign his seat to become minister, although the resignation is still pending approval, according to the lower house website. Neither the new minister nor the president spoke during the appointment ceremony. Although several PRO members were present, party president Mauricio Macri was nott. Santilli told the press that they had not invited Macri because “it is tasteless to invite a person on a one-day notice.” Macri has been openly critical of some of the recent cabinet changes (he said presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni had “no experience” to be named chief of staff). He did, however, congratulate Santilli at the time, saying he was a “very positive” choice.  Santilli’s new role The interior minister is in charge of being a bridge between the national and provincial governments. Given that several lawmakers respond to the governors, their support is important to get bills passed. The president, who has had a tense relationship with all governors, softened his tone after winning the midterms and said he was willing to mend the relationship. Santilli, Adorni, and other government officials have met with several governors over the past week, among them Ignacio Torres (Chubut), Raúl Jalil (Catamarca), Martín Llaryora (Córdoba) and Marcelo Orrego (San Juan). Santilli is scheduled to speak with Gustavo Sáenz (Salta) on Thursday. Milei, who himself has met with 20 provincial leaders to talk about his planned reforms, says there is “absolute consensus” to back the labor reform. The path in Congress Milei intends to call for extraordinary sessions during the summer, following the end of regular sessions on November 30. The goal is to debate them after the elected lawmakers are sworn in on December 10. LLA is set to gain significant legislative muscle due to their win in the midterms, paving the way for potentially easier negotiations with opposing blocs.