Buenos Aires Herald 
Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK) and Vice President-elect Victoria Villarruel met on Wednesday to discuss the government transition, particularly in the Senate. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Villarruel described their conversation as historical, amicable, and cordial.
The meeting, which lasted close to an hour, took place at Kirchner’s office in the Senate, where Villarruel will start working on December 10 as head of the Upper Chamber. Villarruel, the only one of the two who spoke of the encounter, said the transition will be “orderly and respectful.” She added that Kirchner explained how the Senate works, and what the next steps of the process are.
“It was all cordial [and] democratic; both parties are making an effort to try and carry out a transition that is beneficial for the Argentine people,” Villarruel said. This is the first time they have met, even though they both work in the Congress building. Villarruel has been a national deputy since 2021.
Villarruel minimized the fact that no picture was taken. “Citizens can rest assured that La Libertad Avanza and the outgoing administration will carry out an orderly transition in the legislative branch,” the next head of the Senate said.
According to the Senate press office and Villarruel, another item on the docket was the organization of the December 10 Legislative Assembly, where President-elect Javier Milei will take office before national deputies and senators. They also discussed the appointment of new Senate authorities.
Villarruel added that in the next few days, Milei will appoint a provisional president of the Senate. This person is of importance as they would be next in line for the presidential succession after Villarruel.
She also said the LLA blocs in both congressional chambers will “work intensely all summer long” in order to “speak with all other blocs and […] approve laws that will allow the Argentine people to get out of this excruciating [economic] situation.”
The Senate press office posted a thread on the social media site X with details about the meeting, saying that CFK told Villarruel about improvements she made in the Senate since taking office in 2019. They mentioned works to protect the building’s heritage, improving the legislative workers healthcare system from having a deficit to surplus, and downsizing the Senate’s staff by 400 employees compared to the administration of former Vice President Gabriela Michetti during Mauricio Macri’s government.
