MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Martín Menem re-elected as Speaker of Argentina's Lower House

Joining Milei at the House's terraces were his sister Karina and Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni, among other key officials

The Argentine House of Deputies swore in 127 new legislators on Wednesday in a session that concluded with the reelection of Martín Menem as Speaker. The occasion wss attended by President Javier Milei as the ruling La Libertad Avanza (LLA) became the largest minority bloc. LLA secured 95 seats after Entre Ríos' Francisco Moechio changed sides.

Wednesday's session, chaired by the oldest congressman, Deputy Gerardo Cipolini (82) of the Radical Civic Union (UCR), sparked controversy as many lawmakers pledged to fullfill their duties in the name of a “free Palestine” and other causes not provided for under the House's rulebook.

Among the newcomers were former Defense Minister Luis Petri, model Virginia Gallardo, former tennis player Diego Hartfield, and TV hosts Karen Reichardt and Sergio Figliuolo, who joined former provincial governors Oscar Herrera Ahuad (Misiones) and Juan Schiaretti (Córdoba), as well as former Pope Francis' protegé Juan Grabois in taking their oaths.

In a related development, LLA's Lorena Villaverde resigned her nomination to the Senate. Despite being elected on Oct. 26, her accession had been blocked by the Upper House given her alleged involvement in a drug trafficking case in the United States, plus her links to businessman Fred Machado, also believed to have engaged in those activities.

Instead, Villaverde chose to remain a Congresswoman for the next two years. In a letter to Milei, she claimed to have been the victim of “obscene, malicious, and profound media campaigns” orchestrated by “sectors of the old regime” trying to use her to slow down reforms. “To agree to continue under these conditions would be to validate the damage and put my family at risk. I will not do that,” she argued.