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La Libertad Avanza and the PRO will present projects to roll back the increase in senators' allowances - Infobae
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La Libertad Avanza y el PRO presentarán proyectos para retrotraer el aumento de las dietas de los senadores
Ezequiel Atauche consideró que fue ayer una “derrota” la votación en la Cámara alta y que el oficialismo buscará revertirlo. Qué dijo sobre el hecho de que la bancada libertaria no expresó su negativa en el recinto
www.infobae.com
April 19, 2024
Both blocks announced it after yesterday's session where legislators approved a pocket salary of $4 million. Between the two forces they have 13 senators
By David Cayon
Vice President Victoria Villarruel with the president of the La Libertad Avanza bloc, Ezequiel Atauche. The senator anticipated that the libertarian caucus will present a project to suspend the increases
Within hours of the controversial increase that was approved this Thursday for the salaries of the senators , the head of the La Libertad Avanza bloc, Ezequiel Atauche , announced that he will present a bill to roll back the increase in the allowances of the legislators, who would become collect more than $4 million in hand (currently they receive $1.7 million).
“ Today we are presenting a draft resolution to roll back the increase ,” confirmed the head of the libertarian bench in the Senate, after the political quake that caused the increase approved yesterday by a show of hands by the majority of the body.
“We libertarians did not formally want the increase. It was a clear expression of mine at the previous parliamentary work meeting. We did not want the increase and what this is about, because it goes against everything we say," he added, and pointed out that the presentation of the new project is so that "the increase in allowances is not applied and the resolution is suspended ” validated on campus.
Atauche defended the legislative behavior of the La Libertad Avanza bench during the vote. The thing is that the project approved to increase the allowances was done by show of hands and none of the senators from the libertarian bloc formalized their vote of rejection , which is what the parliamentary regulations require. “As a block, we had two options: leave or stay . We considered that leaving was an expression of a kind of abstention from saying 'I'm not participating.' What the good faith rules of the Senate say is that, if you do not raise your hand, the vote is negative, and if you raise your hand, it is positive," Atauche justified in statements to the radio program " La Mañana De CNN ", which he hosts. the journalist Nacho Girón.
The problem in the libertarian senator's explanations is that the regulations are clear regarding voting by show of hands and explains that if no legislator takes the floor and declares his vote against, it is taken as positive. This did not happen.
On the other hand, those who criticize the attitude of the ruling bloc and also of the PRO senators who allege that they voted against, point out that they had the opportunity to "expose the caste" by asking that the vote be nominal and that is where each of the legislators You had to express your vote electronically.
Along the same lines, the other block that announced that it was going to send a draft resolution to reverse the increase in allowances was that of the PRO .
“From our bloc we present a draft resolution to annul the increase in the senators' allowance voted yesterday,” said the yellow bloc. The project has only two articles and establishes “annulling Resolution 08/24” and liquidating the legislators' per diem using the previous formula.
The problem that both requests are going to face is that, in the event that all the legislators of La Libertad Avanza and the PRO support the measure, there will only be 13 senators out of a total of 72. And they would need to add 26 more wills to be able to obtain a quorum.
Matter of time
Even though President Javier Milei said his party was against the increases, there were some contradictory attitudes from his legislators. For example, Senator Bruno Olivera put his signature on the project that increased parliamentarians' allowances. He then he said it was a mistake. Furthermore, the regulations are restrictive when voting by show of hands. In article 212, it is established that “the vote will be affirmative or negative” but also contemplates that “the senator present, with the authorization of the Body, may abstain from voting.” The same article determines that “no senator can protest against the resolution of the Chamber, but he has the right to request the recording of his vote in the minutes and in the Journal of Sessions.”The problem is that no legislator abstained and did not formalize his right to request the recording of his vote in the minutes (against) and in the Journal of Sessions. Therefore, there were no negative votes in the official vote record .
"The increase goes against everything we say," said Atauche.
Senator Atauche pointed out that libertarian senator Bruno Olivera “ admitted that it was a mistake ” and said that he “ hastily signed ” the draft resolution for the increase in allowances. But he also justified the behavior of his party during the approval process: “We did not raise our hands and go out to clarify the voting intention. This is our life and our campaign.”
“(Raising) Hands are formalities that do not reflect the fact that we are in the fight against this increase, not because it is not fair, but because it is not the time. “We are very calm in our expression,” he commented. “I consider what has happened to be a big defeat for the ruling party and for the Argentines,” he defined, and said that the position of the libertarian bloc and allies like the PRO “ is not something for the tribune ,” since “we are presented a bill.”
The move made this Thursday was born yesterday, at the Parliamentary Labor meeting that was held to organize the session. And it was implemented when the non-Kirchnerist Peronist senator, Juan Carlos Romero , requested at the end of the legislative session the incorporation of draft resolution 615/24 and asked to enable it on tables. Two thirds were needed. Vice President Victoria Villarruel gave the definition by show of hands and, although some legislators did not do so, the maneuver was validated. Without debate, the initiative was formally voted on again and approved.
Villarruel disassociated himself from what happened and, contrary to what President Milei stated, confirmed that formally the blocks of all political spaces validated the sanctioned increase . “ Today the senators from all blocks agreed to an increase in their salary that was voted by show of hands in the chamber because they had the necessary votes to do so. As President of the Senate, I am not a senator, I do not receive compensation from the Senate and I cannot interfere in those decisions. Nor can I force a nominal vote or justify the decision endorsed by everyone, because I am not a senator,” Villarruel launched on her social networks.
Along the same lines, the UCR senator, Martín Lousteau , maintained that the increase in allowances was agreed upon by the presidents of all the Senate blocks and explained that the voting form used does not require each legislator to raise their hand, and that if anyone rejected it, they had to ask for the floor and make it established.
“We all vote. And the reason why one raises his hand and another does not, at that moment I was talking to Guadalupe (Tagliaferri), and (Victoria) Villarruel, Graciela Camaño, already explained it, when you do not vote with first and last name it is because there was a prior consensus in Parliamentary Work. All the block presidents sat down and said 'let's do this'. It was already agreed upon, and one of La Libertad Avanza signed the project. It's like everything, then the Government, particularly the President, goes out to campaign and comes out to lie. When you vote like this, without identifying yourself, if you don't want to vote you have to raise your hand and say 'I want my vote to be recorded,'” explained Lousteau.
Atauche observes the Peronist senator of Formosa, José Mayans, in a Senate meeting
