Uruguay
The Broad Front in the Senate Will Vote on the Accountability Bill Without Changes
The governing party decided to approve the bill exactly as it arrived from the Chamber of Deputies. According to Daniel Caggiani, the decision responds to the lack of guarantees that any possible amendments could be sustained in the Chamber of Representatives.
The Broad Front Senate caucus decided to support the Accountability Bill without introducing changes, so the bill will be voted on in the upper chamber in the same terms in which it was approved by the Chamber of Deputies, according to Caras y Caretas Uruguay.
According to that outlet, the decision is framed by the governing party’s difficulties in gathering majorities in the Chamber of Representatives, where it must negotiate with opposition parties to move each initiative forward. That scenario had already been laid bare weeks earlier, when the Broad Front had to accept proposals from Cabildo Abierto to secure approval of the Accountability Bill amid the refusal of blancos, colorados, independents and sovereignists to support the bill in general.
The announcement was made by Senator Daniel Caggiani during a session in which lawmakers were receiving different organizations separately. According to the stenographic record cited by Caras y Caretas Uruguay, the senator said the caucus decided to vote on the initiative as it was approved in the Chamber of Representatives and not to open the debate to amendments.
Caggiani explained that one of the reasons is that the governing party does not have certainty that any changes it may push in the Senate will then be ratified by the Chamber of Deputies. He also added that there have already been public statements from other parties saying they will not support the bill in general, which, he said, makes it harder to reach agreements.
According to Caras y Caretas Uruguay, the decision surprised opposition lawmakers, who were expecting few changes or minor adjustments, but not a vote without modifications.
The bill began to be considered by the Senate on August 28 and the chamber has 45 days to approve it. Caggiani indicated that the governing party’s intention is to wrap up committee work between next week and the following one, and then take the initiative to the floor.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this fact.
