MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Libertarians get Bases Law bill passed at Senate

VP Villarruel cast the vote breaking the tie

Vice President Victoria Villarruel tipped the scale in favor of Argentina's Libertarian administration when she cast her affirmative vote breaking the 36-36 tie at the Senate for the broad passing of the Bases Law bill the government claims to need to rescue the country from its economic plight. Itemized voting went on during the wee hours of Thursday.

In any case, since the wording has been changed - particularly regarding the intended Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI) - since its approval by the Lower House, the bill now needs to go back to that Congressional body for ratification. It was the first Parliamentarian decision supporting President Javier Milei's government six months into its term.

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The President's Office (OPRA) celebrated the news through a statement pointing out that the law was a fundamental step in the “recovery of the freedom of Argentines” and described the demonstrators outside Congress as “terrorists” who were properly dealt with by law enforcement forces.

Milei's government needed to give in some parts of the intended bill such as the planned privatization of Aerolíneas Argentinas, the Post Office, and the public broadcasting network of Radio Nacional and TVP.

“Today we saw two Argentinas, a violent one that sets fire to a car, that throw stones and that debates the exercise of democracy and another one those of the workers who are waiting with deep pain and sacrifice that the vote that in November last year chose a change to be respected, chose that in Argentina a change be shuffled, be given again and a situation that was perpetuated in pain for many years be changed. For those Argentines who suffer, who wait, who do not want to see their children leave the country, who want to recover the pride of being Argentines, my vote is affirmative,” said Villarruel before casting her decisive vote.

Vice Presidents are the Speakers of the Senate but they are not Senators themselves. Therefore they only have a voting right in case of tie. Argentina had last seen this situation arrive in 2008 when then-Vice President Julio César Cleto Cobos spoke of his “not positive” vote which resulted in the repealing of Economy Ministry Resolution #125 penned by Martín Lousteau, now a Senator himself and chairman of the Radical Civic Union (UCR). The episode made history because the Radical Cobos thwarted a measure sought by his former running mate Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. On Wednesday, the UCR contributed 12 votes to Milei's initiative but Loustau voted against it.