Axel Kicillof
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.
Axel Kicillof | |
|---|---|
Kicillof in 2022 | |
| Governor of Buenos Aires | |
| Assumed office 10 December 2019 | |
| Vice Governor | Verónica Magario |
| Preceded by | María Eugenia Vidal |
| National Deputy | |
| In office 10 December 2015 – 10 December 2019 | |
| Constituency | City of Buenos Aires |
| Minister of Economy and Public Finances | |
| In office 18 November 2013 – 10 December 2015 | |
| President | Cristina Fernández de Kirchner |
| Preceded by | Hernán Lorenzino |
| Succeeded by | Alfonso Prat-Gay |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 September 1971 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Political party | Justicialist Party (since 2021) |
| Other political affiliations | Front for Victory (2011–2017) Citizen's Unity (2017–2019) Frente de Todos (2019–2023) Union for the Homeland (2023–present) |
| Spouse | Soledad Quereilhac |
| Alma mater | University of Buenos Aires |
| Signature | |
Kicillof also served as Argentina's Minister of Economy from 2013 to 2015 under the presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Described by his biographer as "the economic guru who captivated Cristina Kirchner", Kicillof was instrumental in the 2012 renationalization of the energy firm YPF. 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. The decision was supported by among others the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the G-77 (133 nations), the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Bankers Association, and bondholders whose payments were stopped by the 2014 ruling.
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.