¡Buenos días from Greenway Parks! This is the Rorshok Argentina Update from the 10th of April twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Argentina.

On Thursday the 3rd, the Senate shut down President Milei’s attempt to push two Supreme Court nominees, Ariel Lijo and Manuel García-Mansilla, into office through a presidential decree. Lawmakers from across party lines argued the move sidestepped constitutional rules requiring Senate approval by a two-thirds majority.

The vote revealed deep divisions, with critics slamming Lijo’s slow judicial track record and García-Mansilla’s conservative stance, especially on abortion. The government lashed out, accusing the Senate of sabotaging progress and politicizing justice.

The administration also insisted García-Mansilla could stay on the Supreme Court unless impeached. However, he stepped down just four days after the vote. In his resignation letter, he insisted the court urgently needs to fill its empty seats and warned that running it with just three judges creates a dangerous illusion of normalcy.

It was a tough week for the ruling party, and not just because of the Senate’s vote. After Donald Trump slapped a 10% tariff hike on all Argentine imports last week, the country’s stock market took a nosedive, with the Merval Index plunging over 7%.

Among the affected nations, Argentina ranked in the lowest bracket. Even so, Milei traveled to the US, aiming to secure a meeting with Trump—ultimately without success. The Casa Rosada pinned the failed encounter on a mechanical issue with Trump’s helicopter, which reportedly delayed his arrival at the Mar-a-Lago gala where the two were expected to meet informally.

The missed meeting was a blow and has sparked criticism within Milei’s team over whether these whirlwind trips are really worth it.

On that note, The New York Times published an article titled How to Become Trump’s ‘Favorite President’: Nonstop Praise, which explores the growing bond between Milei and Trump. The article highlights how Milei has become one of Trump’s most vocal international supporters, and how it gives Milei political visibility while the US sees potential access to Argentina’s lithium.

To read the full article, follow the link in the show notes!

There’s also tension around the inflation number for March. The national stats agency will drop the number on Friday the 11th, and things aren’t looking great. Most private consultancies expect inflation to have ticked up again, landing somewhere between 2.7% and 2.9%, a jump from February’s 2.4%.

Still, Luis Caputo, the Economy Minister, insists inflation is going to collapse, it’s just a matter of time.

On a somewhat related note, the news outlet The Economy published an article explaining why the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, is considering granting Argentina a new twenty billion dollar bailout. The piece highlights President Milei’s sweeping economic reforms and how they align with the IMF’s priorities, making Argentina a better candidate for support.

Check it out with the link in the show notes!

Speaking of the IMF, the deal will come with a major shift in how the country handles its exchange rate. The government plans to move away from the current fixed and heavily controlled system to a more flexible, managed float. That means the Central Bank will let the peso move more freely, but it’ll still step in when needed to prevent big swings. The plan also includes phasing out the crawling peg and eventually eliminating currency controls altogether, though gradually.

Exporters will lose access to the dólar blend benefit, which lets them sell part of their dollars at a better rate. The idea behind this new model is to rebuild reserves, stabilize the currency, and create a more sustainable system that could eventually lead to full unification of the exchange rate—but not until after the elections.

All of this is also aimed at attracting investors—or at least, that’s what the government is counting on. The good news is that Mercado Libre, the ecommerce giant, just announced it’ll pump 2.6 billion dollars into its Argentina operations this year—a big jump from last year and part of a larger push to grow across Latin America.

The money will go toward boosting logistics, improving tech for both shopping and digital payments, stepping up marketing and locking in important service deals. The company also plans to add 2,000 new jobs in Argentina, bringing the local team to 14,000 by the end of twenty twenty-five.

Another big story is making waves right now: A group of teens from a school in Ingeniero Maschwitz, in the Buenos Aires province, got caught plotting a potential school shooting after their parents discovered chilling WhatsApp messages and turned everything over to the police. The messages revealed detailed plans, including threats, specific weapons, and even how they’d get them.

Authorities identified four students and launched an investigation. They were expelled and will have to study online. Parents in the community are scared, with many keeping their kids home and demanding more answers. Local officials ramped up school security, but fear and anger still run high.

Also in the Buenos Aires province: Axel Kicillof, the governor, just shook up the electoral calendar. He announced that the province will skip the PASO primaries this year and will hold its legislative elections separately from the national ones, setting the date for the 7th of September.

He said that holding both elections on the same day using two different voting systems would confuse voters and disrupt the process, especially with Milei pushing a new single-ballot format for national races.

In case you’re looking for something to do this weekend, three Argentine restaurants earned their first Michelin star in the twenty twenty-five edition of the guide: Angélica Cocina Maestra and Riccitelli Bistró in the western Mendoza province, and Crizia in Buenos Aires City.

The awards ceremony, held in Mendoza, also recognized Nicolás Tykocki of Ácido as Best Young Chef, named Elena Cabrera and Leonel Castro Ortiz from Trescha as Best Sommeliers, and added three new Buenos Aires spots to the Bib Gourmand list. Chef Julián Galende of Alcanfor received a Michelin Green Star for its sustainability efforts, alongside two Mendoza-based establishments.

Argentina’s Michelin Guide now features sixty recommended restaurants in just its second year in the country.

Here’s another recommendation: A group of Argentinians in their nineties created the podcast Noventa y Contando, a platform where they openly discuss everything from health and aging to love, sex, and the importance of staying active in later life. What began as a casual dinner video that went viral on TikTok has evolved into a full-fledged podcast, co-hosted by ninety-seven-year-old Alberto Chab. The project has even made international headlines, with outlets like El País in Spain covering the story. Definitely worth a listen!

If you’re in the mood for an Argentine film or series, mark your calendar—Netflix is releasing El Eternauta on the 30th of April. Based on one of Argentina’s most iconic comics, this six-episode sci-fi drama stars Ricardo Darín as Juan Salvo, an ordinary man caught in the chaos of an alien invasion triggered by a deadly snowfall in Buenos Aires. Directed by Bruno Stagnaro, the series updates the original timeline to feel more relevant to today’s world, while staying true to the comic’s core themes of resistance, teamwork, and survival.

A heads up before we go: Easter Weekend, or Semana Santa, is coming up from Thursday, the 17th to Sunday the 20th. Friday is an official public holiday and even though Thursday isn’t, a lot of people treat it like one—offices close early, schools are out, and some employers give their employees the day off. Expect most businesses and services to be closed. It’s also one of the busiest weekends for travel, so if you’re thinking of getting out of town, book early and prepare for some serious traffic.

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

Enjoying the update? We hope so! Wanna chat, toss us an idea, or ask something? Email us at info@rorshok.com.

¡Nos vemos la próxima semana!