Victoria Villarruel took part in the official events in Tucumán marking the 210th anniversary of Argentina's Declaration of Independence and placed the federal debate at the center of her political message. The vice president accompanied Governor Osvaldo Jaldo at the raising of the National Flag in Plaza Independencia and at the solemn Te Deum held in the Tucumán Cathedral.
The visit was part of an institutional agenda that included the previous evening's vigil, the presence of national and provincial authorities, and the participation of municipal representatives. Villarruel highlighted Jaldo's invitation and praised the province's welcome on a day shaped by Tucumán's symbolic weight in Argentine history.
In her remarks, the vice president stressed that Argentina cannot be understood from a single political center. She argued that genuine federalism requires national authorities to visit the provinces, understand their concrete problems, and recognize the values that sustain public life outside the metropolitan area.
The message had an institutional rather than partisan tone. Villarruel thanked the governor and the people of Tucumán, emphasized the province's hospitality, and noted that during the day she was able to speak with national and provincial officials, senators, and mayors from Tucumán's 19 municipalities.
The vice president also anticipated her participation in the civic-military parade, describing it as a display of the province's best qualities. In that setting, she linked the national commemoration with the need to recover a more integrated view of the country, in which the provinces are not merely ceremonial backdrops but active parts of national decision-making.
Toward the end, Villarruel added a social dimension to her speech. She called for attention to the most disadvantaged sectors, people with disabilities, retirees, children, and those facing economic hardship, and argued that Argentina's way forward requires solidarity and unity among citizens.
The vice president's presence in Tucumán thus reinforced a political reading of Independence Day: historical memory as a starting point for discussing federalism, territorial representation, and the relationship between the Nation and the provinces.
