Milei confirms that it will include a Ministry of Health: how is your cabinet formed?

The final decision to maintain Health as a Ministry and not a Secretariat, as he had announced during the electoral campaign, leaves the libertarian cabinet Javier Milei with nine portfolios, in addition to the Chief of Staff, in his planned cut in public spending.

The inclusion of the cardiologist Mario Russo as Minister of Health leaves the cabinet that is sworn in on December 10 formed as follows:

• Diana Mondino (Chancellery)

Economist Diana Mondino, 65, was one of the first confirmed for the Executive.

With experience in private business, the next chancellor will be part of the president’s hard core. From this position, Mondino must build Argentina’s complex relationship with the rest of the international actors. In this sense, he has had no hesitation in supporting the statements of Javier Mileiwhich has promoted strengthening ties with the United States or Israel, compared to those maintained with its main trading partners, Brazil and China.

• Guillermo Francos (Interior)

Lawyer Guillermo Francos, 73, will be in charge of the portfolio in which he must negotiate with the regional governors of Argentina. None of La Libertad Avanza.

He presided over the Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires during the mandate of Peronist Daniel Scioli in the region and was representative of Argentina in the IDB in the Government of Alberto Fernández (2019-2023); Before, he occupied the front line of politics with former President Carlos Menem (1989-1999), first, and former Minister of Economy and failed presidential candidate Domingo Cavallo, later.

• Guillermo Ferraro (Infrastructure)

Nor will the work of 68-year-old civil engineer Guillermo Ferraro be easy, who, in addition to supervising areas such as Energy, will manage public works. This area will see the allocation of funds reduced, since, as he recently confirmed Javier Mileiduring his mandate no more public works will be built.

Among other positions, Ferraro was general director of the consulting firm KPMG in Argentina and has political experience.

• Sandra Pettovello (Human Capital)

The 55-year-old journalist and graduate in Family Sciences Sandra Pettovello will be in charge of this ‘super-ministry’ on which areas as diverse as Education or Employment will depend.

Pettovello, a member of the liberal Democratic Center Union (Ucede), does not have experience as a public manager.

• Mariano Cúneo Libarona (Justice)

The 62-year-old criminal lawyer Mariano Cúneo Libarona, one of the leading ideologues of Javier Milei, is known in the country for his defense of Menem’s former sister-in-law, Amira Yoma, in the context of the high-profile ‘Yomagate’ case; and for his role as a defender in the causes of the attack on the AMIA and of Guillermo Coppola, former representative of Diego Armando Maradona.

A great soccer fan, he tried to preside over the Racing de Avellaneda club in 2014, but did not achieve his goal.

• Luis Caputo (Economics)

The battered Argentine economy, the great “hot potato” for the Government of Javier Mileiwill be in the hands of this 58-year-old economist who served in the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Mauricio Macri (2015-2019), before becoming president of the Central Bank in the final stage of the center-right man’s mandate.

Then, ‘Toto’ Caputo had a management that was not exempt from controversy, especially for his participation in the agreement signed by Macri and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 57,000 million dollars; He finally resigned months before Macri’s electoral defeat when his name appeared in the leak of documents on investments in tax havens known as the ‘Paradise Papers’.

• Patricia Bullrich (Security)

The former presidential candidate for the Together for Change coalition (center-right), the big loser of the elections after being left out of the runoff, will end up being Minister of Security, a position she already assumed with Macri, after having been Minister of Labor (2000-2001). and Social Security (2001).

Supporter of the doctrine of “order” and very critical of Kirchnerism, this 67-year-old political scientist is an old acquaintance of Argentine politics: her journey has taken her from youth militancy in the left-wing Peronist guerrilla Montoneros to a center-right allied to the libertarianism.

• Luis Petri (Defense)

This 46-year-old lawyer from Mendoza, Bullrich’s running mate in the presidential elections, will be the only member of the Radical Civic Union (UCR) on the front line of the Government.

Provincial deputy of Mendoza (2006-2013) and national representative (2013-2021), he earned criticism from his party when he followed Bullrich in his support for Javier Milei for the second round.

• Mario Russo (Health)

This cardiologist doctor has held the position of Director of Government Affairs since January 2020 and June 2022 in the state company Aysa – chaired by Malena Galmarini, wife of the Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa -, in the outgoing Government.

In addition to positions related to his profession, he was Secretary of Health in the municipalities of San Miguel (2009-2015) and Morón (2015-2016), both in the province of Buenos Aires; He also became Undersecretary of Coordination of Health Policies and Planning and Health Comptroller under the Cambiemos Government (center-right) in that province (2015-2019).

• Nicolás Posse (Chief of Staff)

Without the position of minister, but within the circle of maximum trust of the president-elect, this industrial engineer with experience in the private sector met him when they were both part of the company Corporación América.