The Chamber of Deputies will open, starting on Wednesday, May 11, the debate in committee on the projects to establish the Single Paper Ballot in the next elections, after the opposition failed this Thursday in the attempt to discuss in the chamber the initiatives on that topic but get the support to start dealing with the issue.
Without the backing of the ruling Frente de Todos, which voted against the summons, the majority of the opposition blocs managed to approve by 132 votes against 116 and 3 abstentions a motion for the commissions of Constitutional Affairs and Justice to be constituted and begin to deal as of May 11 the projects that promote the implementation of the Single Paper Ballot.
The opposition added the support of the Federal interbloc, the United Provinces interbloc, the four Liberal deputies -from Avanza Libertad and La Libertad Avanza-, Rolando Figueroa from Neuquén and Felipe Álvarez from La Rioja, as well as the deputy Romina Del Plá, from the FIT-PO, which supported the summons unlike the other 3 legislators in that space, who abstained.
The 116 votes against, meanwhile, were mostly from the Frente de Todos and Claudio Vidal from Santa Cruz, from the SER block, while the abstentions corresponded to Myriam Bregman, Nicolás Del Caño and Alejandro Vilca, from the FIT-PTS.
The session began with speeches by the majority of the opposition blocs on the importance of incorporating the Single Paper Ballot, after which the projects promoted by the opposition blocs were put to a vote by show of hands, a vote that was negative. .
Then, from Together for Change, the deputy Silvia Lospennato proposed a statutory motion to arrange the location of the commissions that must deal with the single ballot projects and so that on Tuesday, May 10, the Constitutional Affairs and Justice commissions are constituted and that the projects begin to be debated in a plenary of those commissions as of Wednesday 11.
The proposal also included a schedule that includes convene two more plenary sessions on Tuesday 17 and 24, while he proposed that on May 31, the deputies meet again but now to advance in the signing of the opinion.
“We are aware that we do not have two thirds to treat it, but it is not our intention to treat it lightly, nor that it be lost over time”mario nigri
At the beginning of the session, the president of the radicalism bloc, mario blacki, celebrated “that the venue turns on its lights again and we return to work more normally”, while asking the head of the body, Sergio Massa, an “effort to finish constituting the 26 missing commissions”.
“We are happy. We feel that even among those of us who compete, we get together. Single Ballot means talking about electoral transparency, it means ending the suspicion of cheating every time there is an election, it means that in Argentina many countries of the world are incorporated where this theme is central. We are aware that we do not have two thirds to treat it, but it is not our intention to treat it lightly, nor is it to be lost over time.“, Black asserted.
For the deputy of the PRO, Grace Ocana, “This agenda tries to solve the problems of the Argentines. This is the year for the single ballot to be law and to put an end to old vices of this system” and he also highlighted that “it is a sustainable system with the environment.”
Meanwhile, the deputy Margaret Stolbizer affirmed that “the certification of different systems will demand very intense work, it will enable this treatment. It is an important moment since it is a year that is not electoral. If it is not now we will waste time” and it will mean “savings in economic terms and the environmental costs involved in the issuance of thousands of ballots”.
“Do not talk to me about transparency who have fake contributors: if they want to discuss elections we discuss but do not come to talk to me with marketing pieces of paper”Miryam Bregman
From the Federal Interblock, Graciela Camanoargued that “it is imperative to change the system. We believe it is important to vote a clean record as well. I am glad that the Cambiemos block understands that domain extinction also requires a law, beyond the borders of drug trafficking.”
From the Left Front and the workers, Miryam Bregmanemphasized: “Those who have fake contributors don’t talk to me about transparency: if they want to discuss elections, we discuss, but don’t come and talk to me with marketing pieces of paper, elections are not an expense, it is one of the few instances of participation.”
In his turn, the head of the block of deputies of the Front of All, German Martinezsaid he was “in disagreement with discussing electoral issues on tables without a commission opinion” and assured that he is also “against any type of summons, because commissions that are not constituted are going to be summoned.”
“There was talk of suspicions, of cheating, but I warn you that we are the result of the 2019 and 2021 elections and if we put a cloak of suspicion we also put it on the legitimacy of each one of us“, affirmed Martínez, affirming that “we are political cadres, leaders who have to be willing to debate these issues with arguments, not dressing up as what we are not.”
This consensus session was reached after on Wednesday the heads of the main benches of the Chamber and the authorities of the body agreed to advance with the request by the opposition to convene a single special session to deal with the initiative that they had requested on the Single Paper Ballot and also the issues requested by the Frente de Todos on HIV, medical cannabis and promotion of construction.
The request was presented to the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Sergio Massa, to unify the two special sessions that the opposition -assigned for 12 o’clock- and the Frente de Todos -scheduled for 11 o’clock- had requested for the same day, with agendas different.
After the vote, in the next few days the commissions for Constitutional Affairs and Justice should be constituted.
