Latin America Advisor 2024-03-26 – Inter-American Dialogue

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

December 12, 8320

Will Argentina’s Governors Stymie Milei’s Agenda?

Ignacio Torres, the governor of Argentina’s Chubut province, has clashed with the country’s president. Such tensions could hinder the national government’s agenda. // File Photo: @NachoTorresCH via X.

Q

Argentina’s government announced last month that it had withheld the transfer of around $16 million in funds to the province of Chubut, due to debts accumulated by the state government. In response, Ignacio Torres, the governor of Chubut—which is Argentina’s second-largest oil producing and third-largest gas producing region—threatened to cut off energy supplies if the funds were not disbursed. Other state governments have made similar threats, sparking a struggle between provincial leaders and President Javier Milei. Will the power struggle between Milei and local leaders continue to escalate, and could state governors follow through on threats to cut off supplies from their regions? Between the Argentine government and the provincial governments, which stands to lose more from the power struggle over funding? To what extent does Milei need the support and compliance of local leaders to pursue his policy agenda?

A

Mariano Machado, senior Americas analyst at Verisk Maplecroft: “For the past 100 days, Argentina has navigated uncharted political territory, with a far-right, populist outsider president lacking executive experience, political machinery and any willingness to negotiate swaths of structural reforms. This unresolved political disorder serves as the context for the spat between President Milei and the Patagonian provinces, in which both stand to lose. These provinces provide 98 percent of the gas, 87 percent of the oil, 71 percent of the wind power and 27 percent of…”

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ABOUT THE LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.

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Gene Kuleta
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P. 202.463.2920
E. gkuleta@thedialogue.org

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Goette-Luciak
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Diego Arria
Director,
Columbus Group

Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg

Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
DevryBV Sustainable Strategies

Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan

Marlene Fernández
Corporate Vice President for Gov’t Relations,
Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s)

Peter Hakim
President Emeritus,
Inter-American Dialogue

Donna Hrinak
Director,
Adtalem Global Education

Jon E. Huenemann
Council Member,
GLG Inc.

James R. Jones
Chairman,
Monarch Global Strategies

Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
Professor of Political Economy,
Georgetown University

John Maisto
Director,
US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos

Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates

Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting

Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA

Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados

Shelly Shetty
Managing Director,
Sovereigns, Fitch

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