BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) – The Argentine Senate, the country’s upper house of the parliament, has narrowly passed President Javier Milei’s reforms bill while protesters clashed with the police outside the congress building, vote results have shown.
The upper house voted on the bill in a 36-36 tie on Wednesday, but Argentine Vice President and Senate President Victoria Villarruel cast the decisive vote to pass the bill.
The debate took place on Wednesday when thousands of people gathered outside the congress building in the center of Buenos Aires to protest government reforms. The demonstration that started peacefully turned into violent clashes with the police, with protesters setting a car on fire and throwing rocks at law enforcement officers. The Argentine police responded with rubber bullets and tear gas to push protests away from the building.
The protest was organized by leftist forces and trade unions to oppose the proposed changes by the country’s leadership in various areas. In particular, the opposition was rallying against privatization, the potential elimination of a teacher support fund, as well as regulations that would simplify the process of dismissing employees.
In December 2023, Milei signed an emergency decree proposing over 300 reforms in all economic and social sectors to address the economic crisis and sky-high inflation in the country. The package included such measures as the extension of the probationary period for workers to eight months, the elimination of several fines for employers and the abolition of the unemployment insurance fund.
The country’s unions have challenged the proposals in court. The reforms also sparked numerous protests in the country.
