Vice President Victoria Villarruel was excluded from the traditional Tedeum patriotic ceremony on May 25, 2026 [1].
The absence of the second-highest official at the Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires signals a profound collapse in the working relationship between the vice president and President Javier Milei. Such a public breach of protocol during a national holiday underscores the instability within the administration's leadership.
A spokesperson for the General Secretariat of the Presidency said the office excluded the vice president from the traditional patriotic act [2]. This decision follows a period of deep political fractures and tensions between Villarruel and the president [3].
Despite the lack of an official invitation, Villarruel addressed the situation. She said, "Apelo a un texto 'espiritual' para el 25 de mayo" [4].
The Tedeum is a cornerstone of Argentina's May 25 celebrations, typically serving as a moment of national unity. The exclusion of the vice president transforms the event into a visible marker of internal conflict, a rarity for the high-profile ceremony at the cathedral [5].
While some early reports suggested the two leaders would reunite at the event, verified accounts from the General Secretariat and local press confirm that Villarruel did not receive an invitation [3, 6].
“The General Secretariat of the Presidency excluded the vice president from the traditional patriotic act.”
The exclusion of a sitting vice president from a primary national ceremony is an unprecedented breach of diplomatic and political protocol in Argentina. This move suggests that the rift between President Milei and Vice President Villarruel has moved beyond private policy disagreements into a formal administrative severance, potentially complicating the government's ability to maintain a legislative majority or a unified executive front.
