News of lower house

Scandal-hit lawmaker Espert seeks leave of absence from lower house

Today 14:31 La Libertad Avanza national deputy, now facing money-laundering probe over links to suspected drug-trafficker and fraudster, requests leave of absence until December 8 – two days before his term in office ends.

MARCHA FEDERAL PROTEST

Protesters cheer Milei veto defeat at Marcha Federal for universities, paediatric care

17-09-2025 20:38 Thousands rally outside Congress as lawmakers in lower house vote to reject vetoes on bills to boost funding for public universities and Argentina’s leading children’s hospital, a major blow for President Javier Milei.

STOP THE CLOCKS!

Lower house backs plan for Argentina to change time zone in Winter

22-08-2025 11:01 Lawmakers vote by clear majority to back Julio Cobos-led plan to change Argentina’s time zone and bring the clocks forward in winter so that the sun rises earlier; Change now heads to Senate.

POLITICS & CONGRESS

Lower house rejects Milei's veto of disability emergency law

20-08-2025 16:59 Lawmakers reject presidential veto of disability law by 172 votes to 73, securing two-thirds majority needed to uphold the law previously approved by Congress.

POLITICS

Scandal in Congress: Kirchnerite, libertarian deputies row ends session

03-07-2025 19:02 Chamber of Deputies session ends early with pushing and shoving between La Libertad Avanza and Kirchnerite legislators.

POLITICS & CONGRESS

Lower house approves probe into Milei-$LIBRA crypto scandal

08-04-2025 19:30 Lawmakers vote to summon key ministers as fallout grows over so-called ‘Cryptogate’ scandal.

IMF DEBT PROGRAMME

Milei wins lower house approval to agree new IMF loan

19-03-2025 17:52 Milei granted free hand in negotiations with International Monetary Fund over a new programme as lower house backs decree authorising talks.

Congress & Politics

Congress upholds Milei’s decree to back new IMF-Argentina deal

19-03-2025 17:44 Lower house lawmakers vote in favour of President Javier Milei’s emergency executive decree backing a new deal with the International Monetary Fund.

POLITICS & CONGRESS

Scandal as La Libertad Avanza deputies come to blows in Congress

14-03-2025 00:01 Fistfight between ruling party deputies Oscar Zago and Lisandro Almirón after the latter accused the former of treason by granting quorum brought the session to an abrupt halt.

IMF DEBT PROGRAMME

Milei issues decree to take new IMF deal through Congress

11-03-2025 09:55 President issues decree seeking green light from Congress to move forward with rejigged IMF agreement; Repayments would be pushed out over 10 years with a grace period of four and a half years.

POLITICS & COURTS

Government sets March target for Supreme Court appointments

13-02-2025 13:41 Casa Rosada is seeking consensus for nominees Ariel Lijo and Manuel García-Mansilla and its bid to appoint them to the nation’s highest court. But should support be lacking, it may resort to using decrees.

by Juan Pablo Kavanagh

Congress & Politics

Lower house backs ‘Ficha Limpia’ anti-corruption bill

13-02-2025 01:43 Lower house votes 144 in favour, 98 against, with two abstentions; Opposition claims bill targets Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who would be blocked from running for office if Senate backs it.

CONGRESS & POLITICS

Congress backs Milei’s bid to suspend primary vote

07-02-2025 10:18 Lower house votes to suspend a primary election for this year’s midterm vote.

CONGRESS & POLITICS

Government steers PASO suspension through Chamber of Deputies

06-02-2025 21:44 Milei administration wins support to approve a bill that would eliminate PASO primaries for this year’s elections.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

No quorum, no forum

07-12-2024 05:30 Congress becomes its own worst enemy when deputies and senators refuse to do the work for which the tax-payer remunerates them.

by Michael Soltys

POLITICS & CONGRESS

Budget clash, extra sessions, Speaker Menem – Milei’s first year in Congress

04-12-2024 17:39 Despite being firmly in the minority, Milei has managed to amend over 100 laws since taking office and advance his programme of fiscal austerity. Nevertheless, tensions with allies and opposition persist, centred on the 2025 Budget, anti-graft laws and electoral reform.

by Facundo Maceira

Congress & Politics

No 'ficha limpia’: PRO anger as absences down anti-graft bill

28-11-2024 21:52 Second failure for ‘Ficha Limpa’ anti-corruption bill in lower house; With striking absences, Chamber of Deputies fails to even make quorum, let alone debate bill.

education funding row

Congress opens session on Milei's veto of university funding bill

09-10-2024 12:32 Argentina's lower house Chamber of Deputies will on Wednesday decide if President Javier Milei's veto of a law allowing greater funding to state universities will be upheld.

ELECTIONS

Lower house deputies approve single paper ballot in time for 2025 midterms

02-10-2024 15:42 More than two years after they first approved it, lawmakers in Argentina back the use of a single ballot paper for nationwide votes; Measure backed in a 143-87 vote with five abstentions.

POLITICS & CONGRESS

Double blow for Milei: Senate passes university bill, blocks SIDE cash

13-09-2024 11:04 Milei’s cash for spy services blocked as both chambers of Congress block presidential decree for first time since 1994; Senate approves law providing salary increases and boosting budget for universities facing funding “emergency.”

LA LIBERTAD AVANZA IN CRISIS

Arrieta jumps ship after leaking bills to free dictatorship criminals

28-08-2024 23:56 Amid controversy within La Libertad Avanza over the visit of pro-government deputies to criminals convicted for crimes against humanity at Ezeiza Prison, national deputy leaks draft bills and decree that aim to force through their release.

POLITICS & CONGRESS

Blow for Milei: Opposition teams up with PRO to block intelligence funds

21-08-2024 23:05 In a heavy blow for the Milei government, deputies in lower house repeal decree assigning over 100 billion pesos “to boost the national intelligence system” by 156-52 vote with six abstentions.

POLITICS & ECONOMY

President Milei hails ‘historic’ approval of his economic reform package

28-06-2024 14:22 President Javier Milei celebrates "historic" and "monumental" approval of his sweeping reform package by Congress.

Congress & Politics

Milei celebrates as Congress signs off on ‘Ley de Bases’ reform package

28-06-2024 09:31 Milei secures first legislative victory since taking office more than six months ago; Lawmakers in lower house back revised 'Ley de Bases' package with 147 votes in favour, 107 against and 2 abstentions. Bids to privatise Aerolíneas Argentinas, Correo Argentino and state media outlets left off bill, though income tax will be reinstated.

Congress & Politics

Milei wins approval for bold economic reforms in Argentina

28-06-2024 09:22 Argentina’s Congress approves President Javier Milei’s signature pro-business reforms, marking an inflection point for the outsider to govern with a hostile political class he continues to rail against.

CONGRESS & POLITICS

Milei’s reforms set to cross finish line in Congress

27-06-2024 19:26 President on the cusp of clinching his biggest political victory since taking office, with lawmakers likely to give final approval to two key proposals.

Congress & Politics

Congress set for final showdown on Milei's sweeping reform package

27-06-2024 12:01 Session scheduled to begin at midday and signs indicate the Milei government will secure its first legislative victory since taking office more than six months ago.

CONGRESS & POLITICS

Milei vows veto as deputies approve new pension formula

05-06-2024 10:20 Deputies rebel against government, voting 160-72 in favour of new formula to update pensions; President immediately vows to strike down bill should it clear Senate.

OPINION & ANALYSIS

Milei finally discovers politics

01-05-2024 22:33 President Milei appealed to dialogue and negotiation and obtained his first parliamentary triumph with the approval of his ‘Ley de Bases’ bill and accompanying fiscal package. The head of state has to persuade people of his ability to govern while in a minority. He is being watched by audiences in Washington and Beijing.

by Walter Curia

CONGRESS & POLITICS

Milei wins key lower house support for Argentina’s reforms

30-04-2024 13:25 Lawmakers approve expanded executive powers on administrative, financial, economic and energy matters, as well as the ability to dissolve dozens of special-purpose federal government funds.

Abortion rights

Lawmakers from Milei’s party send bill to Congress seeking to repeal abortion law

08-02-2024 09:47 Lawmakers from President Javier Milei’s party introduce bill to Congress that would repeal landmark abortion law passed in December 2020.

Congress & Politics

Milei's economic reforms stall in Congress, bill returned to committee stage

06-02-2024 21:55 President Milei's ‘omnibus’ mega-reform bill dealt major setback lawmakers in Congress prevented it from advancing; Bill was promptly returned to committee stage for a rewrite.

CONGRESS

Key test for Milei as lower house opens debate on ‘Omnibus’ reform bill

31-01-2024 12:24 Ruling party obtains quorum and debate begins on President Milei’s sweeping ‘Omnibus’ mega-reform bill; Session expected to last at least 35 hours as libertarian leader faces first true legislative test in the lower house Chamber of Deputies; Government confident it has the numbers.

Congress & Politics

Omnibus bill: Government pushes back lower house debate

24-01-2024 17:44 Government sources in the Chamber of Deputies, speaking on condition of anonymity, say that ruling party wants to push back debate on landmark bill until next Tuesday (January 30).

CAMPAIGN COMMENTS

Going to the dogs?

16-12-2023 07:20 This final election 2023 column concludes a series running the length of the campaign – now it’s time to detail the resulting political architecture in the present tense.

by Michael Soltys

ANALYSIS

New Congress will condition Milei’s bid for reform

08-12-2023 00:37 Javier Milei's radical reforms are likely to be heavily conditioned by Congress, with the libertarian leader's caucus a minority in both houses.

CAMPAIGN COMMENTS

Crouching tiger, hidden lion

28-10-2023 04:18 Fear of the unknown is such a conservative emotion that instead people ended up clinging to the status quo, inflation and scandals included.

by Michael Soltys

ELECTION 2023 – RESULTS

Peronists to be first minority in Congress as libertarians boost legislative numbers

25-10-2023 15:19 La Libertad Avanza has had only three deputies since the 2021 midterms, including the candidate himself, but that is all set to change. The libertarians have boosted representation dramatically in the lower house and its number of senators in the upper chamber.

Campaign comments

Expecting every voter to do their duty

21-10-2023 05:51 While tomorrow’s election is widely seen as a three-cornered affair (like the hats in the times of Trafalgar), all three of its fleets tend to believe that there are only two sides. Could tomorrow’s election echo the battle by ultimately leading to a breakdown of existing alliances with a new Argentina eventually resulting?

by Michael Soltys