Argentines overwhelmingly disapprove of how President Javier Milei handled a corruption scandal involving his former Cabinet chief, according to a new poll published days after the onetime aide resigned.
Roughly 99 percent of respondents said they were familiar with the case, and more than 80 percent believed Manuel Adorni had likely or very likely engaged in financial irregularities connected to his personal wealth, according to LatAm Pulse, a survey conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News and published on Friday.
Just over half said the case had a “serious impact” that risks the credibility of Milei’s administration, while nearly 20 percent said it had an “important” effect on his image. Nearly 70 percent said the executive branch’s response had been either “bad” or “very bad.”
Adorni is under investigation for real-estate purchases and luxury trips that appear inconsistent with his modest salary. The probe was set off in March after photos surfaced of his wife, who is not in government, travelling aboard the presidential jet to New York.
The case dragged on for months as Milei fiercely defended Adorni, who was one of his most loyal lieutenants.
After denying wrongdoing for months, Adorni then said his apparent riches came from a decade-old Bitcoin bet, an explanation that drew scrutiny from cryptocurrency experts. The final straw came last Friday when local newspaper La Nación reported he had spent big on a video game setup as well.
Adorni resigned the next day.
Public concern over graft has weighed on Milei’s support. His approval rating slipped to 39.7 percent in June from 39.9 percent the month prior, according to AtlasIntel. His disapproval edged down to 58.2 percent from 58.3 percent, still near a peak of 63 percent in April, when the Adorni scandal increased in intensity. Corruption ranked as a top concern among just under half of respondents.
At the same time, the most vocal member of Milei’s inner circle to criticise Adorni came out stronger from the ordeal. Senate leader Patricia Bullrich was the politician with the most positive image in Argentina, with a six-percentage-point boost from May, according to AtlasIntel.
In a May TV appearance, she urged Adorni to disclose his finances, while Milei insisted in a separate interview just minutes later that his close aide at the time was innocent. Just days before, Milei and his entire Cabinet had accompanied Adorni to a congressional hearing in a show of support.
Diego Santilli, a veteran political operator who replaced Adorni as Cabinet chief on Tuesday, has the second best public image in Milei’s Cabinet after Economy Minister Luis Caputo, the poll showed. Still, his appointment marked a drastic change for a president who once cast Santilli as emblematic of a rotten system.
AtlasIntel surveyed 2,202 people in Argentina between June 26-30. The poll has a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
by Manuela Tobias, Bloomberg
