Axel Kicillof

Axel Kicillof
Kicillof in 2024
Governor of Buenos Aires
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 December 2019
Vice GovernorVerónica Magario
Preceded byMaría Eugenia Vidal
National Deputy
In office
10 December 2015 – 10 December 2019
ConstituencyCity of Buenos Aires
Minister of Economy and Public Finances
In office
18 November 2013 – 10 December 2015
PresidentCristina Fernández de Kirchner
Preceded byHernán Lorenzino
Succeeded byAlfonso Prat-Gay
Personal details
Born (1971-09-25) 25 September 1971 (age 53)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Political partyJusticialist Party (since 2021)[1]
Other political
affiliations		Front for Victory (2011–2017)
Citizen's Unity (2017–2019)
Frente de Todos (2019–2023)
Union for the Homeland (2023–present)
SpouseSoledad Quereilhac
Alma materUniversity of Buenos Aires
Signature

Axel Kicillof (Spanish: [ˈaksel kisiˈlof], born 25 September 1971) is an Argentine economist and politician who has been Governor of Buenos Aires Province since 2019.[2]

Kicillof also served as Argentina's Minister of Economy from 2013 to 2015 under the presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.[3][4] Described by his biographer as "the economic guru who captivated Cristina Kirchner",[5] Kicillof was instrumental in the 2012 renationalization of the energy firm YPF.[6] It was on his advice that Fernández de Kirchner decided not to meet holdout bondholder demands to be repaid what they were owed in 2014.[7][8] The decision was supported by among others the United Nations,[9] the Organization of American States,[10] the G-77 (133 nations),[11] the Council on Foreign Relations,[12] the American Bankers Association,[13] and bondholders whose payments were stopped by the 2014 ruling.[14][15]

Kicillof has been a firm believer in Keynesian economics, and an avid admirer of the Kirchners since his student days when he was a member of the pro-Kirchner youth group La Cámpora and head of the radical student group TNT. A longtime professor of Economic Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires and outspoken critic of the neoliberal policies of the Kirchners' predecessors, he is known for his unorthodox haircut and dress code, signifying his anti-establishment views.[16]

  1. ^ "Axel Kicillof será vice de Alberto Fernández en el PJ y Sergio Berni se bajó de la pelea". 16 February 2021.
  2. ^ Molina, Federico Rivas (31 October 2019). "Elecciones en Argentina: Axel Kicillof, el peronista que seduce | Argentina | EL PAÍS". El País.
  3. ^ "Cristina Fernandez reshuffles cabinet and names new economic team". MercoPress. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  4. ^ Debesa, Fabián (27 November 2019). "Axel Kicillof pasa su asunción al 11 de diciembre, por los festejos de Alberto Fernández" (in Spanish). Clarín POLÍTICA. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  5. ^ "El creyente: ¿Quién es Axel Kicilloff?". Amazon.
  6. ^ "Axel Kicillof and family". Vanity Fair. 17 April 2012. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2013. (in Spanish)
  7. ^ "Vulture funds are showing their true colours" (PDF). Financial Times. 9 July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Argentina's debt battle: why the vulture funds are circling". Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 3 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Argentina's 'vulture fund' crisis threatens profound consequences for international financial system". United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. 25 June 2014.
  10. ^ Alexander Main (9 July 2014). "U.S. on Its Own, Once Again, at OAS Meeting on Argentine Sovereign Debt". CEPR. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Unified support of G77+China Summit to Argentina on Malvinas and vulture funds". Telam. 15 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014.
  12. ^ "US Council of Foreign Affairs supports Argentina, blasts Judge Griesa". MercoPress. 26 June 2014.
  13. ^ "Bankers' Group Supports Bond Trustee in Argentina Appeal". Bloomberg. 5 January 2013.
  14. ^ "Griesa les tira a los rehenes". Página/12. 27 June 2014.
  15. ^ "Argentina Euro Bondholders Seek Exemption From US Courts". Law 360. 30 June 2014.
  16. ^ Goodman, Leah Mcgrath (30 July 2014). "Axel Kicillof Is Argentina's Secret Weapon Against Default". Newsweek.