Uruguay
The Senate advanced the Accountability Bill without changes from the Chamber of Deputies
The committee handling the bill approved it this Friday, and debate in the full chamber will begin on Monday. The governing coalition and the opposition traded criticism over the parliamentary process and the content of the initiative.
The Budget Committee, together with the Finance Committee, of the Chamber of Senators approved this Friday the Accountability Bill without modifications to the text that came from the Chamber of Deputies. According to Caras y Caretas, debate and voting in the chamber’s plenary session will begin on Monday.
Broad Front Senator Sebastián Sabini said the governing coalition managed to get the initiative out of committee in the same terms in which it had been approved in the lower house. According to his remarks, the bill includes the government’s priorities, with increases for early childhood, education, patrols and reinforcement of care for people experiencing homelessness.
Sabini also said the opposition decided not to support the Accountability Bill and noted that, to approve it, the Broad Front negotiated with Cabildo Abierto, with which he said it has differences, particularly over transfers. He also stressed that nearly two-thirds of the articles received opposition votes.
Regarding the proposals presented by the opposition, Sabini said some additions and substitutes amount to more than 400 million pesos and, he said, in some cases they are not funded. He also described them as “unvotable and illegal” initiatives and questioned whether some articles, in his view, are not related to the Accountability Bill.
From the opposition, National Party Senator Javier García described the process as a “very sloppy” Accountability Bill and criticized the government for, according to him, having to send another bill later to correct aspects of the text. He also said there is a “parliamentary blockade” because the governing caucus, he said, prevented the debate from being opened to discuss changes.
In another passage, Sabini said they expect a fiscal situation next year that will make it possible to move forward with other changes through the application of the Global Minimum Tax.
On the other hand, a source from PIT-CNT consulted by Caras y Caretas indicated that, unlike what happened during the treatment in the Chamber of Deputies, no general strike is planned on this occasion.
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 event.
