Aerial view of a fire during a protest rally in front of the National Congress in Buenos Aires on June 12, 2024.
Thomas Cuesta | Afp | Getty Images
Argentina’s Senate narrowly passed President Javier Milei’s sweeping economic reform law, handing the right-wing leader a temporary legislative victory even as clashes erupted between protesters and riot police.
Deputies in Argentina’s upper house voted 37-36 to approve the bill on Wednesday after a marathon debate, with Vice President and Senate Leader Victoria Villarruel casting the deciding vote in favor of Milei’s economic measures.
The bill, which was originally backed by the House of Commons in April, will now be examined point by point before its full adoption, expected on Thursday.
The reform law is a central tenet of Milei’s efforts to revive the country’s struggling economy. The bill aims, among other things, to privatize some of the country’s state institutions, provide a generous incentive system for foreign investors and weaken labor rights.
Photos published on Getty Images showed riot police officers using water cannons to disperse protesters and a car being set on fire during the demonstrations.
The Buenos Aires Times reported that while many of the protesters demonstrated peacefully, riot police used tear gas and at least 18 people were arrested.
“Today there are two Argentines,” Argentina’s vice president said, according to Reuters.
“A violent Argentina setting fire to a car, throwing stones and debating the exercise of democracy, and another Argentina with workers waiting with great pain and sacrifice for the change they voted for,” Villarruel said.
Argentina’s Vice President Victoria Villarruel votes to break a crucial vote on a key reform package for ultra-right President Javier Milei in a session marked by strikes and demonstrations at the National Congress in Buenos Aires, June 12, 2024.
Thomas Cuesta | Afp | Getty Images
Left-wing political parties and unions bitterly oppose Milei’s economic agenda.
In early May, Milei’s government faced its second general strike in less than six months, with workers across the country angered by proposed austerity measures and a deep economic crisis.
The Libertarian leader, who won a presidential runoff late last year, said there was no alternative to his so-called “shock therapy” to provide relief.
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2024-06-13 06:57:50
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