Monday, August 24th 2026 - 21:26 UTC
The remarks come during the worst diplomatic crisis between the two countries since the return to democracy
Argentine President Javier Milei has attributed the criminal case against his former adviser Fernando Cerimedo, detained in Bolivia over an attempted femicide, to a regional plot in which he included Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former Bolivian president Evo Morales and Argentine lawmaker Marcela Pagano. He offered no evidence to support the claim.
“Let's not rule out that behind this is the whole rabble,” he said on Saturday in an interview with Radio Mitre, before listing those names and referring to “castrochavismo,” a term used in the region to describe governments seen as aligned with Cuba and Venezuela. He said it was “a band of castrochavista criminals operating in the region.” In previous days he had accused Lula of running an “anti-Argentine campaign” and of “interfering in electoral processes across the region.”
The remarks come during the worst diplomatic crisis between the two countries since the return to democracy. Brasília recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires for consultations on July 26 and on August 4 downgraded relations to chargé d'affaires level, after Milei took part in a campaign event for Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro at which he referred to Lula in terms the Brazilian government deemed offensive.
