Victoria Villarruel
Vice President of Argentina | |
---|---|
Assumed office 10 December 2023 | |
President | Javier Milei |
Preceded by | Cristina Fernández de Kirchner |
National Deputy | |
In office 10 December 2021 – 29 November 2023 | |
Constituency | City of Buenos Aires |
Personal details | |
Born | Victoria Eugenia Villarruel 13 April 1975 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Political party | Democratic (since 2022) |
Other political affiliations |
|
Alma mater | |
Occupation |
|
Awards | Friend della forze dell'Ordine (2012) |
Signature | |
Victoria Eugenia Villarruel (born 13 April 1975) is an Argentine politician, lawyer, writer, and activist who has served as
Early life and education
Villarruel was born on 13 April 1975.
Activism
Villarruel hosted a radio programme called Proyecto Verdad in the early 2000s. She began her political activism as part of the group of Karina Mujica, president of the association Memoria completa, according to statements by retired Major Colonel Pedro Rafael Mercado, Cecilia Pando's husband.[citation needed] Villarruel was also part of the Association of Relatives and Friends of Political Prisoners of Argentina (AFyAPPA), of which Pando was president. She protested in front of the Comodoro Py courts together with Pando to demand the release of those convicted of crimes against humanity during the National Reorganization Process.[citation needed] According to Mercado, between 2001 and 2003, he was part of the meetings that would later give rise to Jóvenes por la Verdad, a group of which he was a member, dedicated to organizing visits to Jorge Rafael Videla while he was under house arrest, and which was also in charge of collecting letters for ESMA repressor Ricardo Cavallo while he was imprisoned in Spain, and Villarruel personally arranged for Mercado and his son to meet Videla.[citation needed]
In 2003, she founded the Center for Legal Studies on Terrorism and its Victims (CELTYV),[5] which several human rights organizations in the country repudiated for having denialist views and vindicating the theory of the two demons.[6] On 21 December 2005, she participated in the first march of the Association of Relatives and Friends of Political Prisoners of Argentina (AFyAPPA), which criticized Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for calling "those who saved us from subversive terrorism criminals". AFyAPPA is an association that considers military and security forces personnel prosecuted by the civilian justice system for their participation in state terrorism during the last military dictatorship to be political prisoners and calls for their release.[7]
Speaking at the
Los otros muertos, Villarruel's 2014 book about focusing on Argentine conflicts, has been alleged to include methodological errors, such as listing 84 N.N. (identity unknown) victims from dates prior to the founding of the groups she denounces as terrorists, victims of other groups like the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance, and failing to differentiate between civilian deaths and military casualties.[9] According to Villarruel, the majority of their crimes had in fact been committed during the three years of democracy immediately prior to the 1976 military coup.[2] Because of her criticism of the terrorists and of their rehabilitation, she has been accused of defending the Dirty War.[2]
Political career
In 2020, Villarruel signed the
During their presidential campaign, observers pointed to several differences between Villarruel and Milei. Villarruel supports
During a September 2023 debate, Villarruel was accused by Agustín Rossi, the vice-presidential candidate from the Union for the Homeland, of "infiltrating democracy", while the leftist vice-presidential candidate Nicolás del Caño from the Workers' Left Front asked Villarruel about her meetings with Videla and what they talked about, referencing the Etchecolatz case.[19] In late August 2023, it was made public that Villarruel's name and mobile phone number were written down in handwriting by Miguel Etchecolatz, who was convicted of kidnapping and murder in the Night of the Pencils, in the diary where he was preparing the defence of his trial in 2006 for crimes against humanity. Referencing one of the military dictatorship's most infamous members, a former marine officer also known as "the Angel of Death", Rossi told Villarruel: "I think that, deep down, you vindicate the dictatorship. I've never heard you criticize the torture, the rapes, or the stealing of babies. You remind me of Astiz, you know how he infiltrated the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo organization?"[19] In response to Rossi's claims that she does not believe in democracy, Villarruel said: "Not only do I believe in democracy, but I have also been calling for democracy to recognize the civilian victims of terrorism that were attacked by the armed organizations you are implicitly defending."[19]
In a November 2023 debate between the vice-presidential candidates, Villarruel denied the existence of 30,000 missing persons and defended the role played in the illegal repression by Juan Daniel Amelong, an Argentine Army lieutenant colonel who has accumulated five convictions for crimes against humanity committed in
Political positions
Politically, Villlarruel has been described as a
After the end of the Kirchner era in early 2016, Villarruel continued to criticize the presidencies of Néstor Kirchner and his wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, alleging that they defended left-wing terrorists, and engaged in whataboutism regarding victims of terrorism to deflect from those of the junta. She said: "For the past twelve years, the Kirchner governments have glorified the armed struggle of the guerrillas. In Argentina, if you don't support the guerrillas, people assume you support the dictatorship."[2] As a result of her controversial statements, critics accused her of trying to rewrite the history of the military dictatorship and of whitewashing the junta, charges that she denied.[2]
As Vice President, Villaruel has opposed plans by Javier Milei to deploy the Argentine military to intervene in domestic security operations, particularly in the context of increasing drug-related violence in
Personal life
Villarruel is a
In addition to her native Spanish, Villarruel is conversational in English and Japanese.[29]
Electoral history
Executive
Election | Office | List | Votes | Result | Ref. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | % | P. | ||||||
2023 1-R | Vice President of Argentina
|
La Libertad Avanza | 8,034,990 | 29.99% | 2nd | → Round 2 | [30] | |
2023 2-R | 14,476,462 | 55.69% | 1st | Elected |
Legislative
Election | Office | List | No. | District | Votes | Result | Ref. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | % | P. | ||||||||
2021 | National Deputy | La Libertad Avanza | 2 | City of Buenos Aires | 313,808 | 17.04% | 3rd[a] | Elected | [31] |
- ^ Presented on an electoral list. The data shown represents the share of the vote the entire party/alliance received in that constituency.
Publications
- Los llaman... jóvenes idealistas (They Call Them... Idealist Youth), 2010.[32]
- Los otros muertos. Las víctimas civiles del terrorismo guerrillero de los 70 (The Other Dead: The Civilian Victims of Guerrilla Terrorism in the 1970s), 2014, co-written with Carlos Manfroni.[3][8]
References
- ^ "Sobre el silencio y el dolor de los inocentes, no tenemos futuro". La Nacion Revista. 2010. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Lehmann, Remi (29 February 2016). "Activists Fear the History of Argentina's Dirty War Is About to Be Rewritten". Vice News. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Alumni Spotlights" (PDF). Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "About the Perry Center". 2016. Archived from the original on 27 November 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Victoria Villarruel | Speakers | Oslo Freedom Forum". Oslo Freedom Forum. 2011. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "In Argentina, Milei challenges the reality of state terrorism under the dictatorship". Le Monde.fr. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Victoria Villarruel marched for freedom from the genocidaires of the military dictatorship". Es de Latino News. 6 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Victoria Villarruel – Terrorism and Impunity in Argentina". YouTube. 2011. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ Ximena Tordini (10 October 2021). "Victoria Villarruel, la otra hija". Archived from the original on 2 February 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Carta de Madrid" (in Spanish). Fundación Disenso. 26 October 2020. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Qué es la Carta de Madrid, el documento que firmaron senadores del PAN y desató la polémica con el partido VOX". Infobae. 3 September 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Javier Milei confirmó que Victoria Villarruel será su compañera de fórmula: 'Trabajamos muy bien'". Infobae (in Spanish). 15 May 2023. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ^ "Victoria Villarruel: First vice-president to play down dictatorship's crimes". Buenos Aires Times. 22 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ a b "La vice de Milei se mostró en contra del Matrimonio Igualitario". Ámbito (in Spanish). 11 May 2023. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Quién es Javier Milei y cuáles son las radicales propuestas con las que ganó las primarias en Argentina". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). 14 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ Nugent, Ciara; Stott, Michael (26 November 2023). "How similar is Argentina's Javier Milei to Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro?". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ a b c Jaureguy, Martina (21 September 2023). "VP candidate debate: Rossi accuses Villarruel of 'infiltrating' democracy". Buenos Aires Herald. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ "Los repudios que cosechó el negacionismo de Victoria Villarruel | Dirigentes políticos y sociales rechazaron su reivindicación de la dictadura". Página 12 (in Spanish). 10 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Centenera, Mar (24 March 2023). "El negacionismo de la dictadura pone a prueba la solidez de la democracia argentina". El País Argentina (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ O'Grady, Mary Anastasia (2 January 2011). "Las víctimas olvidadas del terror en Argentina". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2023 – via Los Anteojos del Tata. 4 January 2011.
- ^ Leclercq, Giselle (7 September 2023). "The make-up of Victoria Villarruel's inner circle". Buenos Aires Times. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Villarreal, Guillermo (10 September 2023). "Los rituales secretos de Villarruel en una facción católica marginal y ultraconservadora". LetraP (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Cángaro, Ivy (6 October 2023). "La militancia 'lefebvrista' de Villarruel y su influencia en los dichos de Milei contra el Papa y a favor de la dictadura". DataClave (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ "Milei reignites debate on Argentine dictatorship, military". France 24. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ Colsy, Thomas (23 November 2023). "4 key facts about Victoria Villarruel, the Catholic vice-president-elect of Argentina". The Catholic World Report. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Colsy, Thomas (23 November 2023). "Argentina's new VP attends Latin Mass, sympathises with SSPX and opposes abortion". Catholic Herald. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Nugent, Ciara (7 January 2024). "Victoria Villarruel: Argentina's hardline vice-president seeking to rewrite its history". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ "Elecciones 2023". Argentina.gob.ar (in Spanish). Dirección Nacional Electoral. 2023. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ "Elecciones 2021". Argentina.gob.ar (in Spanish). Dirección Nacional Electoral. 2021. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Presentación del libro 'Los otros Muertos, las Víctimas Civiles del Terrorismo Guerrillero de los 70'". Federalismo y Libertad (in Spanish). 29 February 2016. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.