MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine lawmaker resigns after filmed kissing a woman's breasts during a congress session by videoconference

As another member of Congress was making his address on a giant video screen, which also showed other participants in their homes, Ameri could be seen fondling and kissing the breasts of a woman

An Argentine lawmaker resigned on Thursday after he was shown kissing his partner's breasts during a parliamentary session being held by videoconference, a scene that quickly went viral on social media.

As another member of Congress was making his address on a giant video screen installed in parliament, which also showed other participants in their homes, Juan Emilio Ameri could be seen fondling and kissing the breasts of a woman sitting next to him.

The lawmaker from the northeastern province of Salta then pulled one of the woman's breasts out of her T-shirt and started kissing it.

The parliamentary session was initially interrupted, and then suspended, by the speaker Sergio Massa.

“The whole time we have been teleworking these past months we have had several incidents where deputies fell asleep or another hid, but today we had a situation that really overstepped the boundaries of this house,” said Massa.

Confused, Ameri, 47, tried to apologize, saying that he did not think he was connected to the internet at that particular moment.

“Here in the center of the country the connection is very poor. My partner came out of the bathroom, and I asked her how her implants were doing and I kissed them, because she had surgery ten days ago to have them put in.”

At first the member of the ruling Kirchnerite coalition was suspended from parliamente for several days, but as the scandal and outrage continued to grow, party chiefs called on Ameri and told him to resign or he would be expelled from congress.

Finally after midnight Thursday he presented a letter of apology and resignation, which was immediately put to a vote and accepted overwhelmingly, with the support of all political groups in the House.

Ameri was an alternate member of congress, and when the situation became viral, feminist groups from Salta connected with the House and local broadcasting stations claiming the lawmaker has a long history of gender harassment and abuse.