MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine VP against involving armed forces to fight drug gangs

With President Milei we complement each other, Villarruel told TN

Argentine Vice President Victoria Villarruel spoke against involving the Armed Forces in the fight against crime and defended the need to increase the wages of Senators to cope with the country's rampant inflation. She made those remarks during her first TV interview since taking office on Dec. 10.

 Villarruel, the daughter of a 1982 war veteran, disagreed with Ministers Patricia Bullrich (Security) and Luis Petri (Defense) who favored other actions to tackle drug trafficking gang violence in Rosario. She also disagreed with those officials and lawmakers hiring their next of kin.

“The function of the Armed Forces is not to fight civilians,” Villarruel argued. “I think it was clear with the issue of the 70s. The narco is a civilian for the law. In the 70's terrorism was fought, where are those who fought it? In prisoners,” she told the TN interviewers.

She also said lawmakers needed to be “paid in a dignified manner for the very important task delegated to them.”

“Otherwise, only the rich and the drug dealers would be legislators. They have to earn well and they do not earn well,” she insisted.

“Cristina Kirchner as a pensioner earns more than 7 times what a senator earns, who earns less than 2 million [pesos]. That a pensioner earns what he earns does not seem right to me either,” she also pointed out.

“This is extremely important, there are 72 senators to whom we are delegating our life. They legislate on property rights. It is a reality that the function we are delegating to them is vital. If you pay them little they are going to be susceptible to corruption. Corruption is part of dignity. Everyone has to earn according to the function and responsibility they have. The raise should have been given, but I reversed it because the President asked me to do so. Milei considered that, since the Argentine people are making a superhuman effort, the political class had to go along with it. I consider that there must be parity in the income of the three branches. All of them should be frozen. Judges. All of them. Here we make our effort. I hope that the other branches do the same,” Villarruel also said.

Regarding her relationship with Milei, Villarruel explained that “we are two people who complement each other; he is more vehement in public life and quiet in private; I am the other way around.”

According to rumors circulating in Buenos Aires, the Libertarian government is entertaining the idea of granting a pardon to the aging military officers still jailed for their involvement in the so-called “dirty war” against leftwing guerrillas in the 1970s and early 1980s.