Buenos Aires, Argentina – There’s a reason why Javier Milei refers to her as “The Boss”. Argentina’s president regards her sister, Karina Milei, as the most important person in his cabinet, despite formally occupying the secondary role of General Secretary to the president.
Ahead of this year’s midterm elections, the 52-year-old former baker has now consolidated herself as the main strategist in the ruling La Libertad Avanza (Freedom Moves Forward) party, rising over her rivals and having the final decision over candidates.
On July 19, La Libertad Avanza presented its candidates for the Buenos Aires Province’s legislature. The election, set for September 7, will be a key test for Javier Milei, as the president aspires to defeat the Judicialist Party on his own turf, since it has been under Judicialist rule for 34 of the last 38 years. It will also serve as a prelude to the October 26 general election, which will largely determine how Milei can navigate the challenge of his next two years as president.
Karina Milei emerged as the main strategist after the hectic closing of electoral lists. Assisted by former Peronist Sebastián Pareja, the president’s sister had the final say on every candidate.
She took a hardline stance in negotiations with the Republican Proposal party (PRO), which joined La Libertad Avanza despite tensions between the Milei siblings and party leader Mauricio Macri, who also served as president from 2015 to 2019. PRO candidates received only minor representation on the lists, and were excluded from the alliance’s name.
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The general secretary also won an internal power struggle against Santiago Caputo, a star aide to President Javier Milei who wields significant influence across the administration despite holding no formal title and working under contract as an adviser. The 40-year-old political strategist had expected to play a role in the selection of candidates, but was ultimately sidelined.
The adviser proposed a number of libertarian influencers as possible candidates, including the hosts of streaming show La Misa (The Mass), to compete against Judicialist politicians, but none of them ended up on the ballots.
Still a key figure within the administration, Caputo was sidelined from electoral decisions following a series of internal disputes, including clashes with some of Karina Milei’s top aides such as Chamber of Deputies President Martín Menem. He will continue to play a role in the campaign’s communications strategy but will have no say in alliances or candidate selection.
Caputo is also known for playing hide and seek around social media, keeping multiple X accounts with cryptic messages attributed to him, despite the authorship never being fully confirmed. “What’s important is winning the match, not how pieces move,” one of them read on July 21.
Karina Milei also took to social media to defend her decisions after complaints from libertarians left off the ballots spread on X. “La Libertad Avanza in the Province of Buenos Aires is not just another alliance. It’s not a compromise between parties or a quick fix list. It’s a declaration of principles. A clear expression of those willing to fight. Not for a position, but for a cause,” she shared.
The president’s sister refuses to speak to the press, both on and off the record, and is rarely heard in public. However, she used her X post to respond to criticism over the inclusion of former Justicialist candidates on the libertarian ticket.
“We apply the principle the President set from day one: tabula rasa,” Karina wrote, adding that “anyone who honestly embraces the ideas of freedom, who is ready to give everything for Argentina’s future, has a place in this cause, as long as they understand that here we don’t negotiate convictions, but give our souls to the transformation project embodied by Javier Milei”.
From baker to leader
“Javier Milei is absolutely dependent on Karina Milei. He relies on her for essential aspects of his life,” journalist Victoria De Masi, author of Karina: The Sister, The Boss, The Ruler, told Argentina Reports in April.
The siblings share a deep bond rooted in a difficult upbringing; their father, bus driver Norberto Horacio Milei, was physically abusive against Javier during the now-President’s early years, which prompted his close connection with Karina. And while Javierm went on to explore amateur singing and goalkeeping before studying economics, Karina studied public relations and later took up baking and tarot reading.
The siblings worked together in launching his career as a talk show economist, then as a candidate for the House of Representatives, and later as aspiring president. “Karina took care of everything- from making sure he had food in the fridge to handling his campaign activities,” De Masi said.
The relationship went as far as Karina cutting Javier Milei’s food, the journalist further shared. “That’s just the nature of their relationship- it’s extremely close. Karina is Milei’s window to the world. She’s like his connection to the outside,” De Masi explained.
“There was no way to invite Milei to a TV program- which was practically his second home as a congressman- without first speaking with Karina. She was the one who arranged all the interviews”.
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Her influence grew as Javier Milei’s political career progressed. “Karina was in charge of the campaign’s finances. She handled the campaign’s Excel sheets. In the 2023 presidential election, La Libertad Avanza ran the most austere campaign, using all the money allocated by the state to competing political parties. Even with private donations, Karina managed to have money left over,” De Masi said.
Despite her brother’s and her own efforts, Karina hasn’t managed to thrive as a public figure, nor has she attempted to be a candidate herself. “Karina is not good at speaking in public. But in a one-on-one conversation, it’s impossible to engage with her. I don’t know how to say this politely- her speech is flat, monotonous, and incapable of forming a complete idea”, the author added.
“Everything she says is taken from somewhere else- specifically, her brother. She repeats what Javier Milei says and makes the decisions that he won’t make because he believes he is meant for more important things, like Austrian economics, being friends with Trump, or collaborating with Elon Musk”, De Masi concluded.
Featured image credit:
Image: Karina Milei.
Author: Karina Milei on Facebook
Source: Karina Milei on Facebook
