Argentina
The Senate resumed debate on the political reform, but there is still no agreement over the PASO
The Constitutional Affairs Committee again took up the government-backed bill after several months, but closed without progress and with another recess. The elimination of the primaries and the demand to discuss Ficha Limpia separately are at the center of the differences.
The Senate resumed this Tuesday in the Constitutional Affairs Committee the discussion on the political reform promoted by the Government, a bill that had been stalled since May. The meeting lasted less than an hour, had no invited speakers and ended without definitions, with another recess to continue next week or the following one, according to C5N.
The main point of conflict remains the elimination of the PASO, which the ruling coalition keeps as the core of its proposal, but for which it still does not have the necessary votes. As this is an electoral reform, it needs an absolute majority, that is, 37 votes.
During the meeting, three positions were laid out. On one side, La Libertad Avanza defended the bill sent by the Executive Branch. On the other, allies such as the PRO and the UCR insisted on separating the treatment of Ficha Limpia from the rest. Meanwhile, Peronism seeks to keep the primaries and presented its own proposal.
Senator Martín Goerling called for Ficha Limpia to be debated independently and said it is an initiative with strong public support. In the same vein, Radical Mariana Juri urged progress so that the proposal can become law, according to La Nación.
From the ruling coalition, Patricia Bullrich rejected detaching that issue from the rest of the reform and defended an integrated approach. She also questioned the functioning of the PASO by saying they extend the electoral calendar and take management time away from the Government.
According to Ámbito, quorum was not even guaranteed in the committee and the recess was not formally put to a vote. That outlet also noted that, despite support from some governors, the initiative did not secure explicit backing in the parliamentary arena.
In addition to Ficha Limpia and the elimination of the PASO, the bill includes changes to campaign financing, the Single Paper Ballot, endorsements for candidacies, party validation and the mandatory presidential debate, according to Ámbito.
The debate is shaped by the electoral timetable. Bullrich recalled the warning from the National Electoral Chamber about the need to define any changes to the rules before 2027. Jorge Capitanich, for his part, pointed out that there are ten weeks left in the ordinary session period, which narrows the margin for the text to complete its parliamentary path before year-end, according to C5N.
In that context, both C5N and Ámbito noted that the substantive decision appears tied to political negotiations outside the committee, especially with the provinces and the governors.
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 do its own reporting on this event.
