Chief of Staff Diego Santilli asked Vice President Victoria Villarruel to resign or step aside following her repeated criticisms of President Javier Milei [1].
The demand signals a deepening rift within the Argentine executive branch and legislative leadership. Such friction threatens the government's ability to pass key legislation through the Senate, which Villarruel presides over as vice president [1, 4].
Santilli said Villarruel is actively obstructing the administration's objectives. He specifically pointed to her opposition to the government's legislative agenda, which includes a law regarding private property, and land ownership by foreigners [1, 2].
"Always putting spokes in the wheel, if she does not agree then let her step aside, then let her create her own project and compete," Santilli said [4].
The conflict stems from a series of attacks launched by Villarruel against President Milei. The government views these actions as a barrier to its governing mandate [1, 3]. Santilli said that if Villarruel cannot support the administration, she should no longer hold her position [2].
"Let her step aside," Santilli said [2].
Throughout the dispute, Santilli has maintained that the vice president's behavior is counterproductive to the national interest. He said that she "always puts spokes in the wheel" regarding the current administration's efforts [3].
The call for resignation highlights the fragile nature of the alliance that brought the current administration to power. As the head of the Cabinet, Santilli's public demand puts Villarruel in a position where she must either align with the president or face increasing pressure to vacate her office [1, 4].
“"Always putting spokes in the wheel, if she does not agree then let her step aside..."”
This confrontation underscores a critical internal power struggle within Argentina's right-wing coalition. Because the vice president controls the Senate's legislative flow, her ideological or personal break from President Milei could freeze the administration's primary policy goals, including land and property reforms. Santilli's public call for her resignation is an attempt to remove a legislative bottleneck and force a definitive choice between loyalty and opposition.
