Opposition scrapes together quorum to debate debt arrears and disability emergency in Argentina’s lower house

Argentina’s opposition is relying on the narrowest of margins to keep a session alive in the Chamber of Deputies. It needs 129 lawmakers on Sept. 9 to open debate on two issues the critical blocs describe as urgent: rising arrears, especially among young people, and a further extension of the disability emergency, which expires at the end of the year.

The session would not approve either proposal. Instead, the opposition wants lawmakers to instruct the relevant committees to set dates for issuing reports, creating a timetable that the government would have to follow through committees under its control.

An informal survey by LA NACION put the opposition at roughly the 129 votes required. Its prospective support includes Unión por la Patria, part of Provincias Unidas, Argentina Federal, the Civic Coalition, Encuentro Federal, Elijo Catamarca, the Left Front and several single-member blocs.

Government political envoys, including Interior Minister Diego Santilli and Chamber President Martín Menem, are working to break up the quorum. Their focus includes governors close to the Casa Rosada, such as Gustavo Sáenz of Salta, Osvaldo Jaldo of Tucumán, Ignacio Torres of Chubut and Rolando Figueroa of Neuquén, whose lawmakers could help the opposition convene the session.

The government’s libertarian bloc opened committee discussions last week in an effort to defuse the confrontation. The Finance Committee, chaired by Santiago Pauli, and the Disability Committee, led by Gerardo Huesen, scheduled informational meetings and work plans, promising reports before the end of the month. Critical blocs distrust that timetable and call it a delaying maneuver. Governors also have a stake in both debates, citing lower revenue from value-added tax and pressure on provincial hospitals and institutions when people lose national disability coverage.