Argentina police clash with protesters as Milei reform bill hangs in balance

NEWS WIRES

12 June 2024 at 8:15 pm·2-min read

Argentina's Senate began debating a sprawling bill on Wednesday that is key to libertarian President Javier Milei's economic reform plans, while protesters set fires and clashed with police in the streets outside Congress.

The upper house, which is divided almost down the middle over the bill, which is designed to boost investment by privatising state entities and providing incentives for businesses, is set for a marathon debate. The bill passed the lower house of deputies in April following many changes after it was rejected in a first vote in February.

Milei's government, which controls only a minority of seats in both chambers, has been bargaining to win over allies. It knows the bill will be modified, but is hoping to at least get general approval. Outright rejection would be a major blow.

Local legislators and media outlets estimated that senators were evenly split. The bill needs 37 votes out of the 72 total legislators in the chamber to get a majority.

"It is a very even vote: it's 36 and 36," Guadalupe Tagliaferri, a conservative lawmaker from the government-allied Together for Change, told reporters. She said the vote could come down to the vice president, who presides over the Senate, to break the tie.

The main left-leaning Peronist opposition bloc, closely allied to the unions, is likely to vote down what is known as the "bases" bill and a separate fiscal package. The main bill includes plans for privatising public firms, granting special powers to the president and spurring investment.

"This poison has failed several times in Argentina and we won't allow this to carry on."

(Reuters)

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