Luis Petri

Luis Alfonso Petri (born 1 April 1977) is an Argentine lawyer and politician who is serving as the country's Minister of Defence since 2023 under president Javier Milei. Previously, from 2013 to 2021, he was a National Deputy elected in Mendoza Province. Prior to serving as a member of the National Congress, he was a member of the Legislature of Mendoza from 2006 to 2013.

He was Patricia Bullrich's running mate in the 2023 presidential election, running as part of the "Force of Change" list within the Juntos por el Cambio coalition, coming third in the first round.

Early life and education Petri was born on 1 April 1977 in San Martín, Mendoza. He studied law at the National University of the Littoral (UNL), later working as a private lawyer at his own firm.

Political career Petri became involved in politics as a member of the Juventud Radical, the youth wing of the Radical Civic Union (UCR). He was elected vice president of the Mendoza Juventud Radical in 2003, and from 2003 to 2006 he was legislative secretary of the Mendoza Province Senate.

In the 2013 legislative election, Petri ran for one of Mendoza's seats in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies. He was the third candidate in the UCR list, behind Julio Cobos and Patricia Giménez, and was elected with 47.69% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2017 as part of the Cambiemos coalition.

As a national deputy, Petri formed part of the parliamentary commissions on Internal Security, Addiction Prevention and Drug-trafficking Control, Transport, Communications and Information, Criminal Legislation, Justice, and General Legislation.

He voted against the legalization of abortion in Argentina twice: in 2018 and 2020.

In 2023, he sought the Juntos por el Cambio nomination to run for Governor of Mendoza, running against former governor and fellow UCR member Alfredo Cornejo. He received 17.4% of the PASO votes against Cornejo's 26.7%. On 22 June 2023, presidential hopeful Patricia Bullrich of the Republican Proposal party announced Petri would be her running mate in the 2023 presidential election, as part of the "Force of Change" list within the Juntos por el Cambio coalition.

Personal life Petri has one child.

Vice President of Argentina

Juntos por el Cambio 6,379,023 23.81% 3rd

Legislative + Election Office List District Votes Result . Total % . 2005 Provincial Deputy Radical Civic Union 1 Section II 57,678 33.90% 1st 2009 Provincial Deputy Federal Civic Front 1 Section II 105,679 51.76% 1st 2013 National Deputy Radical Civic Union 3 Mendoza Province 487,372 47.69% 1st 2017 National Deputy Cambia Mendoza 2 Mendoza Province 491,012 45.73% 1st