Argentine lawmakers on Wednesday voted to uphold President Javier Millay's veto of a controversial university financing bill that the government accused of jeopardizing its balanced budget and economic recovery goals.
Milley's veto was upheld because the motion did not receive the two-thirds majority needed to pass in the House of Commons (85 in favor, 159 against). Millay's Party, Liberty Advances, I don't It has a majority in parliament. argentina left wing answered Violent protests opposed the president's veto, calling for walkouts and walkouts. take over University.
The bill was initially passed by opposition members in both houses of Argentina's parliament. septemberaims to significantly increase funding for Argentina's 60 public universities, including a provision that would update university budgets monthly based on inflation, retroactive to December 1, 2023.
The proposal, which took office on December 13, is a series of “shock therapy” economic treatments to overcome long-standing difficulties that worsened dramatically during the government of former socialist President Alberto Fernández (2019-2023). It appeared to be a show of defiance against Millais, who had promised action. . As a result of Millay's policies, Argentina's inflation rate fell from 25% in December to 4% in 2019. August. Millay is fierce maintained He says his “zero deficit” goal is non-negotiable.
Millay officially exercised the right of veto Last week's bill. In an official statement, Argentina's president explained that the “irresponsible” proposal did not specify where the funding to increase the university's budget would come from. The statement also asserted that Milley will veto any bill that violates fiscal balance.
“It's time for members of Congress to understand that they can no longer engage in inflammatory populism using taxpayer dollars, and to begin acting responsibly in this historic moment,” the statement said. “It's in the right place,” he added. A discussion about university funding is a discussion about the 2025 national budget. ”
Argentina's president's office accused opposition politicians, including former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and former Economy Minister Sergio Massa, of banding together to “obstruct the president's economic plans.”
“This administration will not succumb to media spectacle, irresponsible legislation, or the manipulation of noble causes for partisan purposes. The government's goals are clear: end the poverty model of the past 100 years; To make Argentina great again,” the statement concluded.
argentina law state If the president vetoes the bill, it will be sent back to Congress, which can either accept the veto or override it with a two-thirds vote in both chambers. If the veto is upheld, the bill may not be considered again during the remainder of the year.
Left-wing students and groups commit violent acts protested outside Congress while the veto debate was ongoing. Franco Antunes, a pro-Milay liberal activist and streamer known as “Franc Fijap,” was assaulted By the mob.
Antunes said The protesters beat him and stole his work phone before taking refuge in a nearby grocery store, where police safely removed him, news channel Todo Noticias reported.
“When I arrived at the compound, everyone started chasing me and one of them tried to hit me, so I started running,” Antunez said. “At one point they came at me a few meters from the property, threw me to the ground and the boy covered me with his bike.”
“They started breaking things and banging on shutters, but there was nothing. That's what happened. The boys from the store took care of me and kept me safe.” he continued.
Millay visited the restaurant where Antunez was rescued at noon Thursday.
Martin Menem, Speaker of the Argentine House of Representatives, explained News outlet La Nación criticized the bill, which is currently vetoed, as “delirium” and said that the MPs who supported the bill had hidden behind the theme of education and “handed defeat to the Millais government”. he accused.
“The battle has been won. We have come to change Argentina in earnest. We have been in uninterrupted deficits for 122 years. We have always spent more than we could,” Menem said. He described the protests in front of parliament as a “sneaky ploy to hide behind the young people.” There are many people who have demonstrated that they are sorry, but there are also people who do not study. ”
“There are young people asking for money to be put into places they don't even know how much. They don't know what's going on with universities, but they force the government to do something when it won't.” he continued.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
