Milei's omnibus reform clears first congressional hurdle as lower house backs bill

After three long days of heated debate and tension inside and outside Congress, President Javier Milei’s sweeping ‘omnibus’ bill has won the general approval of lawmakers in  Argentina’s lower house.

National deputies voted to back the bill “in general” by 144 votes to 109. 

After the vote, the president of the ruling La Libertad Avanza caucus, Oscar Zago, asked for the recess until next Tuesday, which won support. 

Lawmakers will now vote on the bill’s articles, one by one, in what promises to be another lengthy follow-up session on Tuesday.

The next stop for the ‘Ley de Bases’ after that is the Senate, where it will need to win the backing of the upper house.

"We have two clear options – become the largest slum in the world, or continue this path towards prosperity and freedom," said Lorena Villaverde, a lawmaker from Milei's far-right party, La Libertad Avanza.

To secure the bill’s passage in the lower house, Milei's party– a minority with just 38 seats – needed the support of allied and opposition centre-right forces in the chamber, with whom it negotiated until the original bill was reduced by almost half its size.

Opposition lawmakers complained during the debate that the government was “rushing” to win approval for the bill and railroad it through Congress.

They also denounced that the final text of the bill was not available for lawmakers to physically read until after 7.30pm on the second day of debate.

"We Argentines already know what happens when the economic model focuses on adjustment and deregulation," said Peronist deputy Leandro Santoro.

Shortly before the vote, Milei said on social media that lawmakers had "the opportunity to show which side of history" they wanted to be on.

"History will judge them according to their work in favour of the Argentines or for the continued impoverishment of the people," a presidential statement said.

– TIMES/NA/AFP