Argentina's Congress on Wednesday upheld President Javier Milley's veto of a bill to increase pensions, sparking clashes outside parliament.
Thousands gathered to protest Milley's veto, with police firing pepper spray and rubber bullets at a group of people, including pensioners, who destroyed barricades in anger after the vote.
Milley, a Libertarian who advocates budget cuts, last week blocked an 8.1 percent pension increase originally approved by both houses of Congress that would have helped retirees in the South American country, which is experiencing annual inflation of nearly 240 percent.
The president argued that the measure “clearly violates the current legal framework as it does not take into account the financial implications or identify any funding sources.”
A two-thirds majority of both houses of Congress was needed to override the veto.
After more than four hours of heated debate, 153 voted against the veto, 87 in favor and eight abstentions, giving Milley the victory.
“You can't spend what you don't have. We don't have the money,” said Rep. Juliana Santillan of Millay's Liberal Progressive Party.
The minimum pension is equivalent to $230 per month.
Several pensioners were among those clashing with police and being detained.
– “I felt betrayed” –
Patricia De Luca, a recently retired psychologist, said she felt “betrayed and hopeless” after lawmakers approved the veto.
“This is an excessive security operation. It's like we're in a war, not a parliamentary session,” left-wing lawmaker Cecilia Moreau said as she entered parliament ahead of the debate.
Since taking office in December last year, Millay has implemented drastic austerity measures to curb chronic inflation and decades of government overspending.
Inflation was 4.2% in August, the fourth consecutive month below 5% and down sharply from 25.5% in December.
However, year-on-year inflation remained very high at 236.7%.
Critics say the sharp decline in inflation and other apparent economic gains came at the expense of the poor and working class, suffocating the economy.
With both houses divided by the ruling party's minority, the Legislature had the power to override Governor Millay's veto with a two-thirds majority vote.
However, several lawmakers from the centrist Union of Radical Civics (UCR) party, which is driving the pension increase bill, changed their position on Tuesday and announced they would support the veto.
Milley's veto sparked particular outrage because it came after he ordered a $102 million increase in the national intelligence agency's budget – a 700 percent increase – without having to justify the spending.
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