Axel Kicillof took his oath as governor of Buenos Aires province for his second consecutive term on Monday evening alongside his Vice Governor, Verónica Magario, in La Plata. The event ushered in a new era of Argentine politics where the three most influential seats of government — the national administration, Buenos Aires City, and Buenos Aires province — will be led by three different political parties.
“The citizens of Buenos Aires made an assessment [and] said that what this territory needs can’t be obtained with a chainsaw or with austerity,” Kicillof said, alluding to President Javier Milei’s trademark “chainsaw plan” and announced measures. “They said that there aren’t too many rights or too much state presence, but the opposite: that we need rights and a larger, better state.”
A Unión por la Patria candidate, Kicillof clinched re-election on October 22 with 45% of the vote, besting Juntos por el Cambio’s Néstor Grindetti (27%) and La Libertad Avanza’s Carolina Piparo (25%).
He acknowledged the stark difference between Milei’s incoming government and his own, saying that “there should have been more rebellion, social justice, and equality” under former President Alberto Fernández.
“We will have to coexist with a national government with priorities that we do not share, but we respect the will of the Argentine people,” he said. “We ask in return that the will of the people of Buenos Aires also be respected.”
Magario placed the gubernatorial sash on Kicillof and gave him a staff. As he admired it, someone yelled, “No tiene perros! (It has no dogs on it!),” alluding to Milei’s own presidential staff engraved with his five mastiffs.
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Kicillof continually made the demand for Buenos Aires to “recover the resources stolen from it,” contending that the province should receive a higher share of federal taxes given the magnitude of its contributions. Federal tax shares, known in Spanish as coparticipación, are public funds distributed between the provinces and drawn from federal taxes, including income tax, property tax, and value-added tax. Each province receives a set percentage of the total, and there was a fierce political battle earlier this year over Buenos Aires’ stake.
Former Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was a celebrated guest. She received thunderous rounds of applause when initially announced, then later when given a special mention by Magario, and yet again when Kicillof mentioned her in his speech.
Despite wishing the new administration well, the governor actively rejected attitudes exhibited by La Libertad Avanza politicians, such as denying the fact that 30,000 people were forcefully disappeared under the country’s civic-military dictatorship.
“I vehemently condemn any speech that stimulates hate and bitterness between Argentines,” he said. “As we celebrate 40 years of our democracy, let’s keep choosing to debate and solve our differences in peace.”
The ceremony at the provincial legislature was followed by a speech at the Plaza San Martín in front of a large crowd of supporters, who gave Kicillof and Magario gifts and took selfies.
“Yes, there is money. The problem is that it’s concentrated in the hands of the few,” Kicillof said, directly contradicting Milei’s inaugural speech as supporters screamed and chanted Axel, querido, el pueblo está contigo (“Axel, our dear, the people are with you.”). “What we want to know about that chainsaw is who is on either side of it.”
Kicillof will swear in what he referred to as his “militant cabinet” on Wednesday at 10 a.m.
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