The mayor of Bariloche condemned the council members who declared Milei persona non grata: "A beast."

After the Bariloche City Council declared President Javier Milei " persona non grata " for his statements on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, Mayor Walter Cortés condemned the action, calling it "animalistic" and announcing that he would veto it.

" This is crazy. It's not good for Bariloche, which is in dire need of the nation," said the mayor, distancing himself from the project promoted by Councilman Leandro Costa Brutten, supported by eight of the eleven members who participated in the vote. "I'm not saying everyone, but some have only hindered the daily work of the Executive Branch," he added.

Along the same lines, Cortés explained: "We had planned for them to help us with the Snow Festival. With this, the Nation has already warned us that they won't be coming . Why would an official come to help me?"

In his defense, the mayor also lamented other consequences that, according to him, could arise in this scenario: "This is paid for by ordinary people, the unemployed, and business owners. All because of irresponsibility . We need tourism; we don't have other industries," he stated.

Regarding the City Council's decision last Thursday, in an interview with Radio Seis's Engranaje, Cortés described it as "a short-sighted and opportunistic political act ." He also accused the council members: "These are council members using public office for their own political and personal advancement. This is what they do every day with Bariloche's issues: they are disrespectful, they speak without foundation, and they don't do their work."

"We all share the Malvinas cause, but I cannot agree with, understand, or accept that in my city a president voted for by the Argentinian people, by a vast majority and in a democratic life, should be declared 'persona non grata.' It's disrespectful and animalistic," he concluded.

The Bariloche City Council condemned Milei's remarks on April 2, the anniversary of the start of the war, when he gave a speech in which he alluded to the British position on the right to self-determination for the archipelago's inhabitants.

"And when it comes to sovereignty over the Malvinas, we always make it clear that the most important vote of all is the one cast with our feet, and we hope that the Malvinas people will one day decide to vote for us with their feet," the president stated during the message broadcast from Retiro Park.

In the same vein, the head of state stated at the time that the goal of his administration is for the islanders "to prefer being Argentine, and it won't even be necessary to use dissuasion or persuasion to achieve this."