President Javier Milei said his sister, Presidency Secretary Karina Milei, is a victim of “slander and [political] operations” during La Libertad Avanza (LLA)’s closing campaign event in Moreno, Buenos Aires province, ahead of Sunday’s local legislative elections.

“They tried to accuse us of being thieves. In their total desperation, they go against family. They messed with my sister,” Milei said during a heated speech. “They are scared, and on Sunday we will paint the province purple,” he added, referring to LLA’s color. Karina is facing accusations of leading a corruption ring in the national disability agency after audio discussing the matter was leaked to the press.

The event was marked by incidents between protesters, Milei supporters and security forces outside the compound where Milei was speaking. One activist was arrested. A journalist was left bleeding profusely after a bottle thrown during the incidents hit him in the head.

On Sunday, residents of Buenos Aires province, Argentina’s most populous province, will vote for provincial lawmakers. The vote could serve as a bellwether for the October 26 national legislative elections. The district has historically been a Peronist stronghold, but Milei hopes to flip it on Sunday. However, the bribery scandal may tip the scale against him.

You may also be interested in: Why the Buenos Aires Province 2025 elections will be Milei’s toughest test

Milei said that polls are indicating “a technical tie, which means that every vote counts so much more than in a normal election.”

“Kirchnerists are terrified of this result and are willing to do anything to tip the scale in their favor,” Milei said. He added that he expects the opposition to resort to “mob practices” during voting day, which he said could “mark the difference between losing or winning.”

The bribery scandal broke two weeks ago with the leak of recordings attributed to former head of the national disability agency, Diego Spagnuolo, in which he said that Karina was taking kickbacks from drug companies in exchange for state contracts. Further recordings, this time attributed to Karina herself, were leaked last week. 

The government said the recordings of Karina are part of an illegal intelligence operation led by Kirchnerism, and the judiciary has banned publication of Karina’s audios in response to a request from the authorities.

Karina is also the leader of LLA and was present at Wednesday’s event in Moreno, along with Sebastián Pareja, who leads the party within Buenos Aires province.

Argentina’s judiciary has forbidden the publication of leaked audio recordings of Karina Milei, meaning they cannot currently legally be reported in the country. The Buenos Aires Herald rejects this prior censorship of material that is in the public interest as an attack on press freedom.