Argentine opposition takes over control of the Lower House
An unexpected alliance of all opposition forces in the Argentine Lower House (144 out of 257) defeated this week President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s congressional block on the crucial vote of authorities and committees for the incoming congress which officially begins December 10.
On Thursday evening, after 127 seats (of a total of 257 lawmakers) in the Lower House were renewed according to the results of the June 28 midterm elections making the ruling party lose the majority of seats, the opposition decided to give the first Vice-Presidency of the House to radical Ricardo Alfonsín and the Presidency of 25 of the 45 committees to Opposition members.
Kirchnerites obtained the presidency of 20 committees, including the strategic Budget and Constitutional Affairs committees. However it failed to obtain the majority of members in any of them. Kirchner’s Victory Front will have one member less than half in the four key-committees, and less in the others.
The Lower House of Congress approved a motion proposed by the opposition Radical Civic Union to simultaneously vote on the authorities of the Lower House and on the components of the different committees, despite the resistance from Victory Front.
The head of the Radical Civic Union party, Oscar Aguad, asked for a vote to be held and the motion was approved by a majority. Aguad nominated pro-government Eduardo Fellner for the House Presidency, Ricardo Alfonsín for the Vice Presidency, pro-government Patricia Fadel for the second Vice President post, and left the third Vice President post “vacant.”
The Lower House then approved the plan for the control of the committees, where the pro-government deputies will maintain the presidency of 20 committees and the opposition will maintain the presidency of 25.
“I think things are changing, it’s not the same House. It’s the first time the government has to yield to numbers. From now on if bills are to be approved, negotiations are inevitable”, said Elisa Carrió head of the Civic Coalition and defeated presidential candidate in 2007.
“This is really the day after June 28th when the Kirchner couple lost their majority in Congress”, said political commentator Joaquín Morales Solá. However it has to be seen if the opposition can manage to retain unity and cohesion, since the Victory Front remains as the first minority in the Lower House.
Among the new Congress members was former president Nestor Kirchner and husband of Cristina Fernandez who promised “to defend and promote all the projects promoted by the Executive”.
“Mr. Kirchner and officialism have harvested a formidable defeat”, said Deputy Fernando Solanas. Mr. Kirchner is considered the man with the strongest political power in Argentina. In spite of the June 28th setback he managed to pass through Congress several bills essential to ensure his power base among which the Economic Emergency giving the government a free hand with budget funds and a media bill to limit the “excessive power and concentration” of certain Argentine media.
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Argentine democracy is enjoying good health!
God knows it's written and published by a biased argie. So how sure are you about your “Argentine democracy”?
Is it USA a better democracy? Where you have to pay for talking with a senator when they are clearly people's employs. Is that a true democracy? A country where big corporations take all the desicions. A country where if you don't have a paid medical assurance you simply died! That is not very much a democracy. The goverment of your country are FOX, TEXACO, CNN, WALLMART, LOOCKEAD MARTIN, Mc DONNALDS, COKE, GM, FORD and all the sh*t in wall street.
You don't protest of course, you are so busy watching the junk american tv and driving your big and expensive cars consuming all that oil you steal from irak. You (USA) are a country with many men believing themselves to have a larger penis by driving big cars Lol. It is hilarous.
Nicholas, get educated at least just a bit!
From nicholas arrogant and pathetic comentarys doesnt sorprise, he knows what i think about him, about bubba, i dont know you, anyway it's evident that you lack of objetivity.
To my compatriot jorge, i must tell you that our country is also in the hands of a few corporations, specially since the ninetys, like clarin, grupo vila, macris corporations, fortabats interprises, perez companc etc.
About the new congress, i dont have much hopes in them, because most them are not much better tham the k, they are just speculators, i only believe in a few politic partys.
About the k, i recognize they made many mistakes, but i must recognize too that we had great achievements since 2003, i am not an obsequent of the goverments eather nor a total oponent, i just want to recognize what they do right and wrong.
hunderstand=understand
interprise=enterprise
partys=parties
the others mistakes hope they were just misstyping
Nicholas must be chilean, do you really believe that an us citizen would post here? not in a million years hahaha lol plz
think we do have to show a little bit more of our “wisdom” :P
cheers!
P.S: still is nice to read this fights!
I also like those silly fights..bring it on argies..lol.
Many people suffers often when some roads or services are taken, because the manifestators are not respecting the right of the others, every one have right to protest, but they cant ignore the right of the rest of the people, there are many ways to protest with out prejudicing the right of the people.
Those peole who dont respect the laws ans protest where ever they want, dont represent the true thought of most us.
on the other hand you are ignoring important facts, most us dont approve dont approve k's corruption, dont you wonder why they were rejected in the last elections?.
Beside we have many bad aspect as a society like in any other nation, but we have also very good aspects, and i will always hold that in spite of all the problems that we have, our democracy is a good example.
To finish my comentary, i dont think you love argentina, you think because you spoke surelly with some people, they represent the thought of most us, every one are diferent in every province, it seems you only could see the bad aspects , i ask you, is there unless a perfect society?, or all of them have good and bad aspects.
What really molests me is when people see only the bad aspects of the country, with out recognizing the good aspects that we have.
There are no perfect societys, they all have problematics, good and bad aspects.
Beside we dont approve any corruption, that's why menem, de la rua, and kirchner are so rejected, two years ego kirchner had the 87% of popularity, now he is one of the most rejected, dont you wonder why?.
About the k, there are many aspects of them that i dont like in absolut, but there are many others decitions that they took that i will always support, i never wanted to be an obsequent of the goverments eather nor a total oponent, i am objetive, i critice what is wrong, and i recognize what was made correctly.
bubba, go to hell with valenzuela.
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