The elected president of Argentina, Javier Milei, will take office this December 10th at the National Congress.
During the handover ceremony, Argentine tradition establishes that in addition to the sash, the president who leaves office hands a presidential baton to the new president.
Symbolically, the act of giving a cane represents the act of giving power to a person, according to the Argentine Ministry of Culture. The practice emerged in Asia and Africa with the emergence of the first hierarchies in Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies.
In ancient times, the metal rod with which kings and emperors displayed their power and dignity was called a staff or center.
In Argentina, the presidential baton and sash began to be used in 1814 with the creation of the first Executive Branch, but it was only in 1868 that President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento took office in a protocol ceremony with the sash and baton as a symbol of power.
Javier Milei’s presidential baton
Goldsmith Juan Carlos Pallarols was in charge of forming Milei’s command staff. For 40 years, the bat has been made by Pallarols.
The Argentine goldsmith took 11 months of work and traveled to the country’s 24 provinces so that Argentines could participate in the carving of the piece. On his Instagram, Pallarols shared videos in which children form lines to each hammer the pieces of the stick.
Pallarols shared images of the baton he gave to the Casa Rosada Ceremonial director on his Instagram account. On them you can see the national gold and enamel shield, as well as the wooden handle and staff.
Argentine journalist Cecilia Camarano shared on X, formerly Twitter, images of the baton’s arrival at the government palace.
I brought Adrián Pallarols to Casa Rosada with the presidential baton that Javier Milei will use. pic.twitter.com/3sRaytxU8f
— Cecilia Camarano (@cecamarano) December 6, 2023
The staff has a flower with 24 thistles, which represents each of the provinces and the federal capital, in addition to three branches that represent the South Atlantic Islands.
It also features silver decorations and two shaking hands as a symbol of unity, an element that Pallarols added from 2011.
One detail draws attention: an engraving with the numbers 23 and 27, which represent the period in which Milei will be in charge of Casa Rosada, from December 2023 to December 2027.
“Thank you to the millions of Argentines who were part of the construction of this General Staff, which is neither more nor less than the representation of the power of the people entrusted to whom the majority chooses to lead our Homeland. I hope that whoever receives it this December 10th from all Argentines, as we celebrate 40 years of democratic life, feels the love and hopes placed in it”, says a November 23rd post on Instagram.
What are sticks made of?
Argentina’s traditional command staffs are made of Malacca wood, with golden elements and two tassels, according to the Ministry of Culture. The scepter made by Pallarols takes urunda wood from the provinces of Misiones and Chaco
In 1932, the rules for its manufacture were established, which establish that the wood must be varnished Malacca cane, with an eight centimeter long handle that must be made of 18 carat gold and have the national coat of arms enamelled.
The length depends on the president’s height, while the rod covering the lower end must also be gold.
At each protocol ceremony, a different cane is given and it is not passed from president to president.
See also: Javier Milei meets with Bolsonaro in Buenos Aires
Source: CNN Brasil
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