Argentina Protests Against Miliei, Lower House Passes “Omnibus Bill”

Clashes and street protests are fueling Buenos Aires. In this environment, Argentina’s Congress has given the first green light to a bill by the new “ultra-liberal” president Javier Milei, who wants to take decisive measures to overcome the dramatic economic crisis that this South American country is experiencing. The reform package was approved with 144 votes in favor and 109 against.

Milei’s La Libertad Avanza party alone does not have enough members in the House of Representatives (the third force in parliament), and therefore it has to rely on the support of center-right formations, especially Juntos por el Cambio of former President Mauricio Macri. The measure, dubbed the “omnibus bill,” which calls for greater delegation of powers to the government, drastic cuts in subsidies, and privatization of public companies, will now have to be considered by the Senate. The plan was shortened in several parts (for example, by changing pension mechanisms, removing some companies from the privatization list, and drastically reducing envisaged items) in order to pass through parliament, but retained the basic “DNA” that Milei wanted.

The “omnibus bill” represents the key provision of all the activities of the new government, which is facing a catastrophic economic crisis with inflation exceeding 200%, depleted reserves, and huge debts to be paid to investors and institutions such as the International Monetary Fund.

The country has been shaken for days by strikes and demonstrations against Javier Milei and his reform plan. There were numerous clashes, especially in the capital Buenos Aires, where crowds surrounded Congress several times and police intervened with what opposition forces called “repressive” measures: throwing smoke bombs and using rubber bullets. In the last few hours, there has also been a protest against cuts in food aid that would jeopardize even free soup kitchens, thereby putting in crisis basic food aid for the most vulnerable due to a permanent loss of purchasing power.

Javier Milei’s position, on the other hand, is all too clear and has been expressed since he took office at Casa Rosada: there is no money for gradualist policies, the only way forward is the path of “shock reforms.”