Milei Decree Paves Way for Sister's Top Presidential Role

Milei Decree Paves Way for Sister's Top Presidential Role

Can an Argentine president place his own sister at the head of the General Secretariat of the Presidency without facing backlash? According to forum reports, yes: Decree 93/18, which restricted hiring relatives in the National Public Sector, has been replaced by a new norm that limits the ban to specific roles and explicitly excludes appointments made directly by the President. This wording change reportedly cleared the path for Karina Milei to assume a key role in her brother's administration. The maneuver is not a minor administrative detail; it rewrites the executive branch's ethical boundaries with a pen.

What the Repealed Decree Said vs. The New Rule

The previous text, Decree 93/18, established general restrictions on hiring family members in the National Public Sector. The new framework does not eliminate the prohibition but narrows it. It remains valid for certain positions but is deactivated when the appointment comes directly from the President. In other words, the exception is not a residual case; it is the main door.

The practical result is that the same act previously requiring public justification is now resolved with a single signature. The president's sister takes over the General Secretariat of the Presidency, a political and administrative coordination post that effectively functions as the hard core of power. This is not a courtesy embassy; it is the office from which daily operations are ordered.

Is Karina Milei a Newcomer or Long-Time Operator?

This is not a late appearance. Those trinc the president's trajectory argue that his sister has been his right-hand man since day one, pushing him into politics and building much of the strategy. Therefore, the objection is not about her lack of experience but the mechanism: if the role were justified by merit, there would have been no need to touch the decree; if the decree needed changing, merit alone was insufficient.

A common comparison arises: the First Lady's role has never been subject to public competition. If no one raises eyebrows over that unelected position, why should this be different? The counterargument is that a First Lady does not sign resolutions or manage state structure.

The Resume Missing from the Official Gazette

The debate on suitability gets tangled in an uncomfortable detail: the absence of a verifiable, standard resume. Some analysts dismiss this with irony, noting that the new secretary general's previous profession was tarot reader—a background so well-known globally that it requires no reconstruction. Others respond that press outlets of all leanings have published details and demanding a handwritten document is an elegant way to avoid discussing the substance.

There is nuance here: when the endorsement is family trust, any debate on competencies becomes a debate on kinship. And no decree helps there.

The Adjustment Meant to Be Paid by the Political Elite

The most repeated irony relates to the campaign narrative. The adjustment, it was said, would be paid by the political caste. With the president's sister heading the General Secretariat, the question is exactly which caste was meant. This is not an accusation of crime but a contradiction in discourse: the same leader who promised to cut privileges signs the exception that preserves them within his household.

The full calculation, comparing both decrees and fitting each article, reveals a difference surprising to those expecting a closed prohibition. The gap between what was announced and what was written is, in itself, the news.

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In the end, the decree does not prohibit hiring relatives; it prohibits hiring them poorly. If the president signs the appointment, the exception comes factory-installed. And that, with or without cards, was foreseeable.