Victoria Villarruel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Most Excellent Victoria Villarruel
Villarruel in 2024
30th Vice President of Argentina
Incumbent
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 (1975-04-13) 13 April 1975 (age 50) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Political party	Democratic (since 2022)
Other political affiliations	Independent (2021–2022) Freedom Advances (since 2021)
Alma mater	University of Buenos Aires National Technological University
Occupation	Lawyer politician writer activist
Awards	Friend della forze dell'Ordine (2012)
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Victoria Eugenia Villarruel (born 13 April 1975) is an Argentine politician, lawyer, writer, and activist. She has been the Vice President of Argentina since 2023.

Villarruel is known as a conservative politician. She started a group called the Center for Legal Studies on Terrorism and its Victims. She led this group from the beginning. Before becoming Vice President, she was a member of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies from 2021 to 2023. Villarruel is part of the La Libertad Avanza political group.

Early Life and Education

Victoria Villarruel was born on 13 April 1975 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her grandfather was a historian who worked for the Argentine Navy. Her father was a high-ranking member of the Argentine Army.

In 2008, she took a special course in fighting terrorism. This course was at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. This center is part of the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington, D.C..

Activism and Views

Villarruel and Admiral Julio Horacio Guardia with an image of Eliana Krawczyk

In the early 2000s, Villarruel hosted a radio show called Proyecto Verdad. She began her political work with a group called Memoria Completa. She was also part of the Association of Relatives and Friends of Political Prisoners of Argentina (AFyAPPA). This group asked for the release of military and security personnel. These individuals were accused of crimes during a past military government in Argentina.

In 2003, she founded the Center for Legal Studies on Terrorism and its Victims (CELTYV). Some human rights groups in Argentina did not agree with this organization. In 2005, she joined a march that criticized Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The march disagreed with her comments about those who fought against terrorism.

In 2011, Villarruel spoke at the Oslo Freedom Forum. She shared a different view of Argentina's history. She said that terrorism happened not only under military rule but also earlier. She believed that two major Argentine groups, the People's Revolutionary Army and Montoneros, had international connections. She also said that the government at the time protected former terrorists.

Villarruel wrote a book in 2014 called Los otros muertos. This book has been criticized for some of its information. Because she has criticized terrorists and their return to public life, some people have accused her of defending a past military government. She denies these accusations.

Political Career

Villarruel and Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele in October 2024

In 2020, Villarruel signed the Madrid Charter. This document describes some leftist groups as enemies of Latin America. It accuses them of trying to cause trouble for democracies.

In the 2021 Argentine legislative election, Villarruel was elected to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies. She held this position until 2023. She was an independent politician until she joined the Democratic Party in 2022.

She was also the running mate for Javier Milei in the 2023 Argentine general election. They ran together as part of the La Libertad Avanza group. She was then elected Vice President of Argentina.

During their election campaign, Villarruel and Milei had some different ideas. For example, Villarruel supports civil unions for same-sex couples but not same-sex marriage in Argentina. They also had different views on a past military period in Argentina. Villarruel is the daughter of a military officer. Some people have accused her of trying to change how this period is remembered. Despite these differences, she had a big impact on Milei during the campaign.

In a debate in September 2023, Villarruel was questioned about her past meetings. She was asked about her views on a historical period. In November 2023, in another debate, Villarruel discussed the number of people who disappeared during the 1974-1983 period. Her comments received criticism from human rights groups and other politicians.

Political Views

Victoria Villarruel is seen as a conservative and a right-wing nationalist. On social topics, she supports civil unions for same-sex couples. However, she does not support same-sex marriage. She has defended the actions of a past military government. These views have caused some debate. Some people have accused her of denying past state terrorism.

In a 2011 interview, Villarruel said that politicians in Argentina avoided talking about the victims of terrorism in the 1970s. She stated that her group had identified many victims of terrorists. She also said that the governments of Néstor and Cristina Kirchner protected left-wing terrorists. She believes that if you don't support guerrillas in Argentina, people assume you support the dictatorship. Critics have accused her of trying to rewrite history. She denies these charges.

As Vice President, Villarruel has disagreed with some of Javier Milei's plans. She opposed using the Argentine military for domestic security. She believes the military's job is not to fight civilians. Villarruel also disagreed with an agreement about the Falkland Islands. She said it was "contrary to the interests of our nation."

Personal Life

Villarruel is a traditionalist Catholic. She attends a specific type of Catholic Mass in Buenos Aires. This chapel is run by a traditional Catholic group. She also attends other types of Mass in the city.

Besides her native Spanish, Villarruel can speak English and Japanese.

Electoral History

Executive

Legislative

See also

In Spanish: Victoria Villarruel para niños