MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Kicillof consolidates himself as Argentina's opposition leader

Kicillof was warmly welcomed by the continent's leaders Milei despised

During his appearance on Wednesday in New York at the tribute to the late Uruguayan former President José Pepe Mujica, the Governor of the Argentine province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, consolidated his role as the country's opposition stalwart.

Surrounded by progressive leaders such as Presidents Yamandú Orsi (Uruguay), Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro (Colombia), Gabriel Boric Font (Chile), and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Kicillof questioned Argentine President Javier Milei's foreign policy, only weeks after Peronist/Kirchnerite candidates defeated Libertarian ones in the mid-term elections. Kicillof also took part in the “In Defense of Democracy” gathering.

Kicillof received warm greetings from those leaders previously insulted by Milei. While they spoke of sovereignty and regional cooperation, Milei placed his government's fate in the hands of the US and promised aid should he win the upcoming elections, Kicillof underscored.

The Governor also claimed that his recent electoral victory proved that “cruel and ruthless adjustments” and the removal of rights “do not have popular support” in his province or the country. He also called the Milei administration “a true national disgrace” and a “case study” of a bizarre situation. He also mentioned the “end and decadence of American hegemony,” arguing that financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank had devolved from promoting development to merely being controllers of austerity.

Kicillof also celebrated Mujica's wisdom and urged attendees to “keep fighting, resisting, and struggling” to honor his legacy and “never lose hope.”