Radical Party Internal Feud Reignited Over Chief of Staff Questions in Argentina's Congress

Internal strife within Argentina's Radical Civic Union (UCR) has resurfaced, fracturing the party in the Chamber of Deputies. A recent attempt to hold a special session to question Chief of Staff Nicolás Posse collapsed, deepening existing rifts among the radicals, who are now divided into three distinct blocs.

The core of the conflict lies in differing approaches to President Javier Milei's administration and a renewed dispute over the party's symbolic banner. This internal division was starkly evident when a session to debate interpellation and no-confidence motions against Posse failed to achieve quorum. While some factions, like the one led by Mendoza's Pamela Verasay, aligned with the ruling party to convene a constitutional affairs committee instead, others, such as the "Provincias Unidas" bloc, expressed strong disapproval.

This divergence has reignited a long-standing battle over the party's identity and direction. The UCR's inability to forge a unified national stance on Milei has led to a significant dispersion of its deputies. Verasay's bloc, reportedly aligned with Governor Alfredo Cornejo, chose not to grant quorum, drawing the ire of more critical UCR members. Meanwhile, another deputy, Karina Banfi, has formed a solo bloc but allied with the PRO party.

One unnamed legislator voiced frustration, questioning the motives of those who abstained: "If you call yourself a Radical, you have to be here in this session. What did they give you to not come? What did some negotiate? What a great idea some have to steal the UCR logo to try to undermine more than a hundred years of struggle and values."

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If you call yourself a Radical, you have to be here in this session. What did they give you to not come? What did some negotiate? What a great idea some have to steal the UCR logo to try to undermine more than a hundred years of struggle and values.