Newly elected far-right Argentine President Javier Milei received a major setback on Tuesday (Feb 6) as his labor reforms package was prevented from advancing in the parliament and sent back for a rewrite.
According to reports, Milei’s La Libertad Avanza (LLA) party which controls only a small number of seats in the Congress, pulled the bill and obtained the adjournment of the session. The move was necessitated after opposition lawmakers went on a rejection spree, culling several crucial proposals at an article-by-article vole.
After the setback, LLA said it would send the bill back to committees for further debate. Meanwhile, Oscar Zago, leader of the ruling party faction called out the governors for their betrayals.
“Betrayal will be costly and [LLA] will not allow the governors to extort the people to maintain their privileges,” the coalition wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Notably, the opposition towards the bill continued even as the LLA dramatically scaled back on its previous version – removing more than two-thirds of its original 664 articles, to win over centrist lawmakers.
Despite the omissions, the new bill still included measures such as giving the nod to privatized two dozen state companies, strengthening penalties for road-blocking protests and relaxing some environmental protections.
After the setback, Milei, who is currently on a trip to Israel, issued a fiery response.
“Our government program was voted by 56 per cent of Argentines and we are not willing to negotiate it with those who destroyed the country,” Milei posted.
“We know that it will not be easy to change a system in which politicians have enriched themselves at the expense of Argentines,” he added.
LA CASTA CONTRA EL PUEBLO
La casta se puso en contra del cambio que los argentinos votamos en las urnas.
Sabemos que no va a ser fácil cambiar un sistema donde los políticos se hicieron ricos a costa de los argentinos que se levantan todos los días a trabajar.
Nuestro programa…— Javier Milei (@JMilei) February 6, 2024
The Argentine president had earlier rationalised his decision saying the labour reforms were aimed at deregulating the South American country’s economy which has been in a rut.
Milei’s unexpected win
Milei managed a political upset in November last year by clinching Argentina’s presidential run-off elections. Milei’s campaign was marked by unconventional tactics, including wielding a chainsaw on the trail.
Milie might not be the regular person that most Argentine foresee but he is a strong leader with good intentions for the country; he has a great foresight for the future of Argentina.