Chief of Staff Diego Santilli Calls for Vice President Villarruel to Step Aside Amid Escalating Conflict with President Milei

Chief of Staff Diego Santilli has called for Vice President Victoria Villarruel to step aside if she does not agree with the government, following a public clash between the Vice President and President Javier Milei. The conflict intensified after Villarruel posted on X that she has a genuine concern for the president's state and criticized him for replicating what she called insensate inventions and imaginary persecutions. These comments were a response to a post by Deputy Lilia Lemoine, which President Milei reposted, accusing Villarruel and former official Marcela Pagano of maintaining links with Peronism to coordinate a political trial against the president. Santilli described Villarruel's remarks as a disparate and a barbarity, stating that she should form her own project and compete if she is dissatisfied. Parallel to this political dispute, Santilli defended a proposed reform of the Central Bank (BCRA) announced by President Milei. The reform aims to prohibit the issuance of currency to finance state deficits and introduces a fiscal shackle. It also includes a shutdown mechanism that would suspend salaries for legislators and ministers in the event of a sustained deficit, while exempting health, education, and pensions. Santilli also attributed 10 billion dollars in losses to a 2012 modification of the BCRA charter under former president Cristina Kirchner.