Argentina’s upper house of parliament approved President Javier Miley’s government reform proposal after a day of unrest that left about a dozen people injured.
The proposal was approved Wednesday night by a vote of 37 to 36 after 11 hours of debate, but lawmakers will still have to approve 238 articles individually in a vote that is expected to last until the morning.
“For the Argentines who are suffering, who are waiting, who do not want their children to leave the country (…), I vote in favor,” said Senate leader and vice-president Victoria Villarruel. , whose vote was decisive in the tiebreaker.
The bill, known as the “omnibus”, the symbolic law of ultra-liberal economist Miley’s government, will then return to the lower house of the Argentine parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, for a new vote.
The Chamber of Deputies approved a second version of the proposal in April with 238 articles and major changes, two months after rejecting the original version, which had about 600 articles.
The legislation gives the president broad powers in areas such as energy, pensions, security, and includes a 30-year tax break for foreign investors, a tax amnesty for Argentines with undeclared assets abroad and the elimination of import duties.
Argentine unions have also voiced fierce opposition to labor law reforms that would make it easier for companies to fire workers, as well as plans to privatize some state-owned companies.
The Senate debate was marked by violent clashes between police and thousands of protesters in Buenos Aires, which began when protesters tried to break through security barriers erected around parliament.
Seven people, including five lawmakers, were hospitalized due to tear gas, Argentina’s Health Ministry said in a statement. At least 20 police officers were injured, police said.
Several cars were set on fire during the clashes, and police responded by using rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the protesters. At least 14 people were detained.
Unlike previous Argentine leaders since the return of democracy in 1983, Milei’s party has a minority in parliament and therefore failed to pass a single law during its first six months in power.
Therefore, the new president chose to use executive power to reduce government spending and eliminate economic restrictions and regulations.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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