ARGENTINA: Cristina’s Conviction & more – 12th June 2025

¡Buenos días from Louse Point! This is the Rorshok Argentina Update from the 12th of June twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Argentina.

On Tuesday the 10th, Argentina’s Supreme Court upheld a corruption conviction against former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, sealing a six-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban from public office. Judges dismissed all of her legal team’s arguments, insisting the verdict was backed by evidence and due process. The case focused on public roadwork contracts allegedly funneled to an allied businessman during her presidency. Cristina and her allies say the ruling is part of a political witch hunt, while President Milei celebrated it as a blow to corruption.

The ruling ends her bid to run in the upcoming Buenos Aires provincial elections and opens the door to her arrest, though at seventy-two, she qualifies for house arrest. As one of Argentina’s most polarizing figures, her removal from the ballot marks a major turning point for Peronism—and for the country’s political future.

Since we touched on the elections, the Buenos Aires Herald news outlet published a guide to Argentina’s twenty twenty-five election year, detailing a packed calendar of legislative contests at the national, provincial, and municipal levels. The article outlines key dates and races, including provincial elections in Santa Fe, Formosa, and Corrientes, where voters will choose local lawmakers and, in some cases, delegates to reform provincial constitutions.

To check it out, follow the link in the show notes.

On that topic, the northeastern province of Misiones held a key provincial election on Sunday the 8th, with voters choosing twenty new lawmakers and renewing several city council seats. The ruling Peronist political party, Frente Renovador de la Concordia, held onto power in Misiones’ legislative elections, but all eyes were on Milei’s La Libertad Avanza, which surged into second place with a strong showing.

In a surprise twist, a third of voters backed Ramón Amarilla’s pro-life party—even though he’s currently in jail for leading a police revolt.

Now, an update on a story from last week about the Garrahan Children’s Hospital in Buenos Aires. Medical residents ended their strike after receiving warnings they could be fired if they didn’t return to work. They said hospital authorities and the national government used threats to break the protest, though they still stand by their demands for better pay and working conditions.

Permanent staff remain on strike, and the union has announced a national health-sector walkout. The Milei government dismissed the protests as political theater, while doctors painted a grim picture of burnout, understaffing, and inadequate pay in one of Latin America’s top pediatric hospitals. The current salaries of most residents are under 800,000 pesos monthly (about 660 US dollars) for sixty to seventy-hour workweeks.

Argentina’s Lower House approved a 7.2% increase in pensions and also voted to bring back a pension moratorium — a temporary measure that lets people retire even if they haven’t met the usual required years of social security contributions. This came after a long and heated ten-hour debate that also covered disability benefits and the crisis at the Garrahan Hospital.

Despite Congress passing these bills, President Milei has already said he will veto any legislation that threatens the government’s goal of a zero fiscal deficit. While the pension raise may have enough support to override a veto, the moratorium is unlikely to survive.

Speaking of increases, prices in Buenos Aires City rose in May, but at a much slower pace with a 1.6% inflation rate, well below April’s 2.3% and most analysts’ predictions. This brings the city’s inflation to 13% for the year so far, a significant improvement compared to the 48% recorded in the same period last year. Key contributors to the May increase included rent, healthcare, and education, while food prices edged up slightly, driven mostly by meat, bread, and dairy, although vegetables dropped sharply.

In environmental news, the government is preparing a decree to change the National Glacier Law to allow mining, oil, and gas exploration in areas near glaciers. The plan would limit protection to only the largest active glaciers with important water functions, while giving more control to provincial governments over these zones.

The administration promises environmental oversight will continue, but critics and international organizations, including UN experts, warn this move could seriously harm fragile mountain ecosystems and water sources.

Meanwhile, Milei met with Pope León XIV at the Vatican, focusing their talks on tackling poverty, promoting social unity, and addressing global conflicts. The meeting highlighted the strong relationship between Argentina and the Holy See with the two figures expressing a shared commitment to work on these social challenges. The Pope, who has deep ties to Latin America, confirmed plans to visit Argentina.

Before heading to the Vatican for talks about poverty and social unity, President Milei stirred controversy at home by removing Mayki Gorosito, the director of the ESMA Museum — a site that preserves the memory of Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship from nineteen seventy-six to nineteen eighty-three. ESMA was once a secret detention and torture center where thousands of people were held, and the museum on its grounds plays a crucial role in educating the public and honoring the victims.

Survivors and rights groups immediately condemned the move as part of a wider effort by Milei’s administration to undermine memory, truth, and justice, risking decades of progress in confronting Argentina’s painful past.

In another controversy, Mile’s government introduced the libertarian animated series Tuttle Twins to the state-run children’s channel Paka Paka, set to premiere this July. The show promotes ideas like cryptocurrency as a solution to government corruption, questions the value of university education, and challenges the role of the state, reflecting the views of Milei’s favored economists such as Milton Friedman and Ludwig Von Mises.

While supporters praise the series for promoting freedom and individual rights, critics argue it pushes a clear political agenda onto young viewers, accusing the government of using the channel to advance its ideology.

Also hitting the screen: Netflix announced that it is bringing the tales of Mariana Enriquez, the Argentine horror writer, to the screen with a new miniseries called My Sad Dead Ones or Mis muertos tristes. Directed by Pablo Larraín and produced by Chile’s award-winning company Fabula, the four-episode series will start filming later this month in Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile. It follows a doctor who can communicate with the dead and finds herself drawn into a haunting chain of events triggered by her troubled niece.

But that’s not all. Ricardo Darín, the star of The Eternaut, will lead in a new Netflix film titled Let’s Finish Here, or Lo dejamos acá, a psychological drama about a therapist who strays from traditional methods.

Netflix announced yet another film, The Last Giant or El último gigante, which follows a quirky tour guide who reconnects with his father who walked out on him nearly three decades earlier.

Also on the slate: Parque Lezama, a film adaptation of Oscar-winning director Juan José Campanella’s play about an odd-couple friendship, and a true-crime documentary about notorious poisoner Yiya Murano. Netflix says it’s all part of a long-term push to spotlight Argentine stories and talent on a global stage.

In sports, the Latin American qualifiers for the twenty twenty-six World Cup are almost done. This past Thursday, the 5th of June, Argentina beat Chile 1-0. The result leaves Chile clinging to a near-impossible chance of qualifying for the twenty twenty-six World Cup. Argentina, meanwhile, remains comfortably at the top of the South American table and used the opportunity to debut seventeen-year-old River Plate talent Franco Mastantuono, who made history as the youngest Argentine to appear in a competitive match.

Before we go, remember that there are two bank holidays coming up. Monday the 16th of June is a holiday this year in Argentina to honor General Martín Miguel de Güemes. Though his actual death anniversary falls on the 17th June, the holiday moves to the preceding Monday, creating an extended weekend. Güemes was a key military leader during Argentina’s independence wars, known for organizing guerrilla forces in the northwest to defend the territory from Spanish royalists.

Four days later, the 20th of June marks Flag Day, which honors the death anniversary of General Manuel Belgrano, the creator of the country’s flag.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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